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31st July 1997- Harry's Birthday

Harry grunted tiredly in annoyance as sunlight crept through his curtains to shine on his face, waking him up mercilessly from his comfortable slumber. He cracked open his eyes reluctantly, only to squint at the sudden burst of bright colour that greeted him. God, he hated mornings.

With a huff, which drew his attention to the odd smell in the air- was that dirt?- Harry rolled himself out of bed to crouch on the ground for a few seconds. Attempting to rid himself of grogginess, he shook his head vigorously, only succeeding in dizzying himself with the harsh movement, which made him blink languidly at the floor. Said floor was, unexpectedly, covered with a bright green moss and the odd sprouting flower, almost looking like an unnaturally coloured and textured carpet. The sight was enough for the haze of sleep to dissipate as Harry stared down at it in what was mainly horror- although he could also sense the feeling of hilarity at the situation bubble up inside of him.

Harry snorted, and blinked a few times, before standing up with a groan, stretching out his cramped muscles, yawning. "Mum! Peony's turned my room into a moss bed again!" He called out, brushing a sprouting buttercup with his foot.

From downstairs, Harry could hear her surprised and exasperated exclamation. "Again?! Oh, for Merlin's- Dylan, please put that down! Peony, darling-"

"I didn't do it! Harry's lying~!" His youngest sister instantly rebutted with a long, loud, drawn-out whinge that made his brain itch.

"Sweetie, it's accidental magic. I know it wasn't intentional, I just want to know what made you so upset-"

"I didn't do it!"

The quiet of the morning, at least from his perspective, was shattered instantly by his sister's unrepentant screech that caused him to wince in sympathy for those nearer to her. Harry could barely hear his mother's attempt to pacify Peony, but after a little while, she quietened down. He listened as his mum clambered up the stairs a few seconds later, probably to come and help him vanish the stuff.

"I'm so sorry, Harry, I know it's your birthday but you know she can't control it-" His mum stopped dead in the doorway, staring at him with a slack jaw and wide eyes. He raised an eyebrow at her, questioning. "James! James, come here! Quickly!" She stumbled closer, arms raising but hesitating before she could touch him. There was a thud from downstairs, followed by giggles from his siblings at what was probably his father falling face-first up the stairs in his rush to climb them.

"Yes, my darling Lily flower? Sweet, beautiful, love of my life. What can this handsome husband do for you-" His father cut off as he walked through the door, laying his eyes on his son. "Holy fuck."

Lily was quick to admonish him, despite her eyes never leaving the changed form of her son. "James, language!"

"Lily, my love, our son has wings! I think the situation calls for a bit of leniency for my use of language."

"Excuse me, I have what?" Harry looked at his father with a disbelieving expression, desperately wishing what he'd just heard not to be true.

"A pretty pair of wings, most exquisite, truly, I implore your fabulous taste, and my genes, of course-"

Harry ran to the bathroom, skidding to a halt before the mirror and, lo and behold, on his back sat a pair of clear, iridescent wings twinkling tauntingly back at him.

"What the fuck!" It was the only thing that came to his mind as he observed himself, tilting his body side to side to watch how the light bounced off of them.

"Harry James Potter!"

"I have wings, mum!" His voice took on a squeaky pitch as he turned from side to side, examining the changes to his body. He seemed to have grown slightly taller, about an inch or so. His shoulders also seemed to have shrunk, the curves of his body more defined, giving him an almost dainty figure. On closer inspection, Harry's ears and teeth seemed to have grown pointier, as was confirmed as his tongue split when he ran it over his new fangs. His body also shone slightly with a strange luminescence, almost invisible to the eye. "And... a lot else has changed, as well."

"Yes, and you also have a gaggle of impressionable younger siblings eager to repeat every single word you utter because they idolise their big brother."

"Well, at least we know now why you've been such a disappointment and never brought a person home, I thought for a minute there that we'd have to start thinking about passing the heirship on to Dylan."

"James Fleamont-"

"A Creature! I don't think we've had one of those pop up in the main line for a while. None in the past few centuries, that's for sure." His father interrupted, beaming widely at Harry, who deadpanned at him.

"A Creature? Really?" Harry scrunched his brows. "I thought that you weren't a carrier for the creature blood in your family, dad?" James opened his mouth to respond, but closed it right after, looking confused.

"You're right, I'm not. Since dad wasn't one either. Lily?" He looked consideringly towards his wife, eyeing her in a renewed light.

"I'm a Muggleborn, James." His mother looked at his father as if he was a bit slow, causing James to smile wickedly at her. It was smug, one that only appeared on his face when he knew he was correct.

"Yes, but Muggleborns descend from the squibs who were kicked out of wizarding families into the Muggle world. It must have come from your line since it couldn't have come from mine." His mum looked faint, his father gleeful. "It looks like it's finally time to dive into that elusive family tree of yours, my darling. I, for one, have always been excited to know which line you descend from."

"I- James-" Lily's face crumpled, and her husband rushed to placate her. She brushed him off, looking up into his eyes, her expression deadly serious. "Just, not today, please. It's Harry's seventeenth birthday, our boy is officially an adult now, and that's something that deserves our undivided attention. My family tree isn't going to go anywhere in the meanwhile."

James searched her eyes intently before sighing. "Okay, yeah, you're right. This day is for celebration, not one to spend with those stuffy goblins! Which reminds me, Happy Birthday, Harry. Sirius and Remus should be 'round later, and Draco popped in earlier this morning with a package."

Harry's eyes widened. "Draco was here?" He received a nod. "Why didn't you wake me up!"

"Because he seemed to be in a rush, the poor boy's being run ragged by his father ever since he became of age, there's no doubt in my mind that even coming here to personally deliver your present was a struggle for him to fit into his schedule. Now, get downstairs, I bet that in the time we've been up here, your siblings have already ransacked downstairs and terrorised Missy."

Harry grinned at the amusing picture that was painted in his head, knowing full well that their family's house-elf was as strong-spirited as anything. It was hardly likely that they had actually frightened her in any way.

He was corrected in his assumption as he walked into the living room, looking down upon his nearly three-year-old younger and only brother bashing together saucepans as his youngest sister, the six-year-old Peony, encouraged him.

"What are you two doing?" He asked them incredulously, barely heard over the din. The pair looked towards him, eyes lighting up as they landed on his figure.

"Making songs. Do you like?" That was Dylan. His sweet little brother had been born at the start of his fourth year and was a welcome addition to their growing family. Already burdened with three younger sisters, Harry had been delighted to finally have a younger brother.

With his perfect, cherub-like blond curls inherited from his maternal grandmother and bright green eyes from his mother, he looked angelic compared to the rest of them, with their infamous Potter hair.

"Ah, big brother has pretty fairy wings!" And that was Peony, a spitting image of his father with black hair and dark brown eyes. 'A true Potter', his father would always crow while swinging her about. He used to do that with him before he became too big to be manhandled like that. Now, his father instead grabs him in a headlock and ruffles his hair with ruthless ferocity.

She raced over to him, clamouring to be picked up so that she could touch his wings. Harry sorely regretted indulging her when she grabbed a chunk of them in her hand, scrunching it. He shouted out in pain, which startled her into letting go as he placed her quickly on the floor.

James and Lily came rushing into the room, and Peony burst into hysterics and rushed to her father's arms. "Harry shouted at me!"

"I didn't shout at her, I shouted in pain when she decided it would be a good idea to scrunch up my wings." He winced, smoothing down the painful area. "Peony, you are old enough to understand now that doing something like that would hurt."

"No! I'm little!"

"Peony-"

"No, no, no, no, no! Shut up!"

James huffed out a breath, picking her up despite her struggling. "Peony, we don't lie, and we certainly don't tell someone to shut up." The door closed, leaving them in the living room.

Harry looked around at the mess the room had become, eyes narrowing. "Where are Liana and Daisy? Surely they wouldn't miss their big brother's birthday?"

"Both are still asleep. Merlin knows how they haven't woken up yet from all the racket."

"I did. I just decided to stay out of the warzone until it was safe. Happy birthday, Harry." Liana walked past him, poking at one of his wings in curiosity on her way to the kettle. "God, I need a coffee. It's criminal to be up this early." She loudly banged multiple cups onto the counter, placing tea bags in most, whilst one held coffee.

"It's half eight, Lia. You'll have to start getting used to waking up this early again soon. Classes at Hogwarts start at nine."

"Why do they have to start so early?! Surely they could start at ten. I'd be more likely to actually listen in the first lesson if that was the case."

"I was up at six in the morning daily when I attended Hogwarts, so that I was awake and prepared for the first lesson-"

"Yes, mother, we all know that you had to wake up with the stars, lest the horrible teachers would punish you so!"

" They did not-"

"And don't forget the compulsory morning swim with the mers in the black lake to promote inter-house friendship, of course." Harry chimed in, a grin on his face.

"That was-"

"Ah, I loved those morning swims, so refreshing!" A new voice cut through whatever his mother was about to say. Harry turned his head so quickly, that it took a moment for his vision to settle, but he could recognise that voice anywhere.

"Sirius!" At his exuberant call, his father came rushing back into the room, grinning widely when he laid eyes on his two closest friends.

"Prongslet! Congratulations, you've made it to adulthood! Mind, I had my doubts, your father is James after all, but he's proved to be somewhat of a responsible adult. I feel slightly disappointed in him. Never mind, he has another son."

"Thank you for your words of encouragement Sirius, I'm sure Regulus would adore knowing that you've predicted his godsons' death."

"Oh no, he'd slit my throat for even entertaining a thought of his precious boy dying." Sirius chuckled merrily, ignoring Remus' glare from beside him. "Here, Harry, happy birthday!" He handed him a medium-sized box before slumping into the sofa and grabbing Dylan from his place on the floor. "Dylan, little man, how's it going?" His little brother stared uncomprehendingly at Sirius for a few seconds before bursting into giggles, warbling a muffled "Siri" into the man's shoulder as he lunged in for a hug. "Merlin, I love this kid. Why don't I get this kind of welcome from everyone? Even my own godson has yet to hug me!" He stared at Harry with mirth in his eyes, but there was also a smattering of worry as he gazed at the wings attached to his back, trying to pretend he hadn't noticed them.

"Because you're a morning person. I'd like you more if you'd just shut up once in a while." Lia called from the kitchen, cackling madly when Sirius let out a dramatic gasp.

"James! Control your daughter." His only response was a similar cackle.

"There's nothing wrong with what she said." Remus sat down next to Sirius, stroking his hand gently over Dylan's curls as if scared that any more pressure would break the young child.

"Ugh, gang up on me, why don't you?"

Harry switched the subject, a thought having been weighing heavily on his mind for the past few days. "How is Dora, Remus? I heard that something exciting has happened recently."

"Dora is fine, she's... brilliant."

"Hm, what happened?"

Remus looked at him hesitantly. "She recently informed me that she is... pregnant. Nearly four weeks along already. It's a bit early to be announcing it like this-"

"Pregnant? You're... You're going to be a father!" Harry lunged at him, knocking the breath out of the man, who grunted.

"Yeah, I'm going to be a father." He grinned wryly, but Harry could see the war going on behind his eyes.

"What's wrong, Remus? Aren't you happy?"

"I am- It's just-" He sighed. "I'm afraid that the child will come out like me."

"Ah, come on, Moony, you're quite the handsome fella, not as much as me though, but you've still got appeal. I'm sure the child will come out looking fine, no matter which parent they take after."

"No, Sirius, I mean... what if it's a werewolf, or partly one? What if they are affected by me being a werewolf? I couldn't live with myself knowing that I'd caused an innocent child, my own child, to live with this terrible curse. I'd rather it be aborted than chance it." There was a long, drawn-out silence before it was broken by a feminine voice.

"Does Auntie Dora want the baby?" Harry looked up to spy his final sister, Daisy, in the doorway

"Yes, she's adamant about keeping it. Merlin knows why."

"Because as much as it is your baby, it is hers as well. She has a choice in the matter. As much, if not more than you do, since it's in her body."

"Daisy-" Lily tried to interrupt her, but a glance was all that was needed for her to stop.

"Go and talk to her about it, listen to her reasons as to why she would be willing to risk the child being a werewolf, and you might find yourself persuaded. Go on, go. Harry has the whole day left for his birthday. You can come back later, with Auntie Dora this time." She shooed a reluctant Remus into the floo with a harsh scowl, much to the amusement of the audience. "Stupid godfathers."

"Daisy, that was uncalled for. You know that Remus struggles with his condition. It is a relevant worry to have." Her mother chided, face full of disapproval. The girl folded her arms, staring defiantly back.

"It was not uncalled for. It was necessary. You can't just leave him to it, or otherwise, that is also leaving Dora is a stressful situation."

"Daisy-"

"Mum, it is Harry's birthday, leave it. Happy birthday Harry, here's your present."

"Thanks." He smiled, taking the package. Inside was a book about the structure of Runes, something he had been wanting for a while but had never remembered to buy when he was in Diagon.

"Tea." Lia placed the drink down with a thud, collapsing down on the settee. Harry looked up from the book, reaching for it.

"Where's mine?" His father whined, pouting slightly as he watched Harry gulp down the hot tea.

"Oh, I'm sorry, I didn't realise I was your maid. Go make it yourself, the kettle's boiled, so it shouldn't take too long." She sipped mockingly, giving her father a big grin from behind the rim of the cup.

Their father gave a dramatic groan, sinking further into the sofa. "And this is why I wanted to stop at Harry."

His mum snorted, looking over at him mockingly. "You should have thought about that before you-"

"Shut up! We don't need to know!" Lia shouted, putting down her cup to cover her ears, much to her family's amusement.

Daisy turned to their parents with a pointed look at Harry's wings, which Sirius was also still staring at. "So, like, do we get to know why Harry has wings?"

His parents hesitated slightly, but Harry merely shrugged his shoulders nonchalantly. "Creature Inheritance. Not sure what, although I'm guessing it's some sort of Faerie creature."

"Ah, cool."

"Woah, that's awesome! Do you think any of us will also come into an inheritance when we turn seventeen?"

"We'll just have to wait and see. Let's get Harry through his first before we start thinking about that, though." Their mum responded calmly.

"Yeah, but me and Dais only have under three years and six for her to go until we find out. Peony's fine since she has eleven, and I don't even want to think of Dylan being seventeen, he's barely out of nappies!"

"You're both barely out of nappies to me! There's no arguing, we aren't going to think about this seriously until you are nearer the age. Keep it in the back of your minds, however." The pair hummed in acknowledgement of her serious words.

"Whatever you say, mum. Though, how cool would it be if we were all creatures!?"

Harry smiled indulgently at them as they gushed over the changes he's had, shifting him about to examine his wings and ears. He wasn't all that sure what to think of his unexpected inheritance, but it had happened, so he was just going to have to deal with it as he usually did- heading straight into the deep end.

3 PM

After a morning full of unwrapping presents and writing out thank you letters for the senders, all Harry wanted to do was sit back and relax. But with his two youngest siblings still frolicking around in the masses of wrapping paper and still unopened presents, he knew peace would be a long time coming.

As if hearing his dreary thoughts, out of the floo tumbled Ron, who practically swaggered up to him, hair in disarray. He was grinning widely, although it faltered minutely at the sight of him.

"Happy birthday, mate! How's it feel to finally be an adult?" He opened his arms, bringing Harry into a hug, avoiding crushing the wings on his back.

"The same as yesterday, except I've obtained a pair of wings overnight."

"Ah, I was about to ask about that. Younger siblings' accidental magic?"

"Unexpected Creature inheritance."

His eyebrows raised. "That...would do it. What are you, some kinda Fairy? No offence, mate, but you look a bit like one."

Harry smiled, probably showing a bit too many of his newly pointed teeth if the way Ron shivered was anything to go by. "Thanks, Ron. And you look like a washed-out leprechaun. Why didn't you tell me that you'd also had a Creature inheritance?"

"Oh, piss off! Still, it's pretty cool, yeah? Being a Creature." Harry hummed, seeing the way Ron's eyes flashed briefly with jealousy. "Where'd it come from?"

"My mum's side, we think."

"Really? I would've thought it'd be your dad's."

"Nah, Dad isn't a carrier for the creature gene, so he couldn't pass it down to us. I think the last carrier was my great-grandfather, Henry, but Grandfather didn't inherit it."

"What even was the Potters' Creature Ancestor?"

"Some subspecies of Veela, I'm pretty sure." The pair made their way to the sofa's, sitting down in the midst of wrapping paper and trinkets that he had opened throughout the day so far. Peony and Dylan were now rolling in the piles, giggling away and nearly crushing some of the presents, stopped by his mum swooping in and gathering them in her arms.

She placed them onto the nearby coffee table, reading the labels. One made her eyes twinkle, and with a sly smile, she picked it up. "Here's Draco's present, Harry." His mum passed him the parcel wrapped in silver and green paper, a nod towards the man's Hogwarts house.

"I'm surprised that Malfoy ain't here. He's always here." Ron mused, eyeing the present as if it would come alive and bite him.

"You and me both. Apparently, his father's driving him into the ground with work ever since he turned seventeen." Harry sighed dejectedly, turning the perfectly wrapped parcel in his hands.

"I never thought I'd say this, but I pity the poncy git." Ron grimaced as if the words were poison in his mouth. He hummed noncommittally in response, untying the silver bow from the gift, and carefully unwrapping it.

What tumbled out was a beautiful bracelet that looked as though it was two pure gold feathers moulded together, intricately styled and detailed. Harry held it as if it was a priceless artefact, and it was, to him.

"Woah! What a typical Malfoy gift to give, eh mate."

"Oh, what a beautiful bracelet!" His mother stared over his shoulder with a cunning smile. "He must think highly of you to give you such a thing."

Harry scoffed. "Of course he does, we've been best friends for years, Mum. If he didn't, I'd have punched him a long time ago, the insufferable twat." Still, he carefully cradled the bracelet within his hands, shooting a glare behind when Lily let out a soft snort.

"Of course, love."

After all their guests had left after a lavish celebratory dinner, his mother and father spent a while hunched over the table, with Harry anxiously hovering over their shoulders. They were deliberating what they should and shouldn't include in the letter that was going to be sent to the Creature Council, the governing body of the creatures, to inform them of his inheritance. Eventually, they finished it after a couple of hours or so, seven rewrites later.

To: The Creature Council

Main Council Hall

The Land of The Fair Folk

Our son, Harry James Potter, has recently come into a Creature Inheritance of some sort, and we are very underprepared to deal with the unexpected situation we find ourselves in. We understood that we must inform you of our son's inheritance, but beyond that, we are unknowing. If you could send some guidance our way, it would be greatly appreciated.

We have freed up the first and second of August for this very reason, so that would be the most convenient timing for us. We invite you into our home on these days, if you accept.

Yours Sincerely,

Lord and Lady Potter of The Ancient and Noble House of Potter

In the evening, a fiery-looking creature swooped in through the window, startling his parents to spring up, wands drawn. The phoenix dropped the letter it had carried in its beak, gave them each an assessing look, and then flew back out of the window in a flurry of red and golden feathers.

To: Lord and Lady Potter

Potter Manor

Norfolk

We send our congratulations to you, your family and your son for his recent Creature Inheritance. It is an honour to welcome him into our world, as the number of Creature Inheritances has been dwindling these past years as birth rates decline in both Creature and wizarding families.

We graciously accept your invitation for the first of August and will send your way one of our consultants, who is very knowledgeable about our world, to assist you in understanding this situation that you have so suddenly found yourselves in more clearly.

The first task that they will perform is to ascertain what species of Creature your son is, to better aid you and supply you with the most relevant information possible. Then, they will determine whether your son is a submissive or a dominant, as the courses each of these classifications take into our world differ from one another. If your son is recognised as a submissive, your consultant will be in contact with us immediately, and explain the situation to you as best as possible. If he is a dominant, then our consultant will inform them of their role in our community.

We wish you the best, and formerly welcome you to take part in our society.

Sincerely,

Elion Luwynn, member of The Creature Council

1st August

Late in the morning of the first of August, the doorbell chimed, announcing the arrival of the visitor they had been expecting. Lily began to rush around, tidying up bits and pieces, and moving around others, all to relieve the stress she was feeling. James grabbed her by the arm as she reached for the flower vase a second time, and lead her out into the hallway, Harry trailing at their heels. 

The door swung open, revealing the man behind it, who nodded his head in greeting. "Good afternoon to you all. I am Ludovico Vitali, the consultant sent by the council to help you and your family with your son's unexpected inheritance."

"It is lovely to meet to, I am James Potter and this is my lovely wife, Lily."

"Lord Potter, Lady Potter, thank you for inviting me today."

"And our eldest son, Harry."

The man took in his appearance for a few seconds, focusing especially on his wings and eyes, nodding to himself. He held out a hand. "Yes, It is a pleasure to meet you, Heir Potter"

Harry smiled, accepting the handshake. "The pleasure is all mine, Consultant Vitali."

The trio led their guest to the parlour, at Lily's insistence, settling down with all three Potters sitting on one of the sofas and the man on an armchair.

"Missy."

A small house-elf appeared in the room with a 'pop' into the room, peering up at Lily with adoring blue eyes, her hands hidden in the sleeves of her robe. "What can Missy be doing for Ma'am Lily?"

"Could you bring us in some drinks please, Missy?" She smiled down at the small creature, who beamed back eagerly.

"Yes, I's also be making some snacks to goes along with the drinks." The house Elf popped away, leaving Ludovico to stare at the spot where she once was.

"I had forgotten that most wizard folks employ house elves to help around the house."

"Yes, we only have just the one though, my personal one from childhood that wished to stay working here even when I offered her freedom. Lily likes to do things around the house herself you see, but the two of them have worked out a schedule that doesn't demean the other's work."

"With my kind, the Fae, the spirits of our land like to keep everything in order for us, so there is no need to employ any housekeepers. However, the wealthier and more influential families still choose to employ some to increase the number of jobs available."

"I'm sorry if this comes across as rude, but can the Fae keep their true appearances hidden?" Harry asked, eyeing the man's perfectly human features.

"Ah, so you noticed my lack of out-of-the-ordinary features? Yes, we can. Although, in our own world, it is uncommon for us to hide away the features that bring us the most pride. May I?"

Harry eagerly leaned forward. "Of course!"

Ludovico stood and shrugged off his dark robe. A second passed, and suddenly a pair of clear wings ripped through the back of his shirt, uncurling to their full length of what must be at least twenty feet. He let out a sigh, his wings fluttering in what Harry instinctively recognised as satisfaction. " That feels much better." He smiled at Harry, who had been staring at the wings with recognition in his eyes. " It seems you have figured out what you are." It wasn't a question, but a statement.

"I have. I'm a Fae, aren't I?"

"Yes, you are indeed a Fae. And with the creature you are ascertained, I now need to conclude whether you are submissive or dominant before we continue, it wouldn't do for me to give you information that isn't needed at this time. Would you mind standing up for me?" Harry did so, allowing the other Fae to circle him. "Spread out your wings as far as they'll go, please." It took a few attempts to unfurl them from where they were tucked close to his back, but eventually, they stretched out, a dazzling shine to them in the warm sunlight. They seemed small now that he compared them to the man's in front of him. "Yes, as I'd first thought. You, Harry Potter, are a Submissive Fae, quite the rare occurrence in Inheritances such as these. Lord Potter, may I be allowed to use your floo to contact the Council? They need to be informed of this right away. I will be back straight after with the necessary information for your family."

"Yes- Yes of course, right this way." Harry's father stood, leading the Fae to their floo.

When his dad and Ludovico had finally left the room, Harry collapsed back onto the sofa, his wings curling around him protectively. Lily, startled at his sudden drop, was by his side in an instant.

"Harry, darling-"

"A Submissive."

"Oh, Harry-"

"How am I a Submissive!? Why am I one!?" He shouted suddenly, stunning his mother into silence. He regretted it almost immediately as she shrunk back. "Mum-"

"You just are, sweetheart, and there's nothing anyone can do to change that fact." Lily's voice was strong despite how she looked, her green eyes that were so similar to his own staring back at him.

"Mum-"

"There's nothing wrong with being a Submissive darling. Submissives and Dominants aren't all that different to one another, or at least to my knowledge. You're just smaller, less inclined to violence, and more nurturing. Isn't that better than being more aggressive and territorial?"

"But Submissives can get pregnant, Mum!"

"Yes, I know they can. And we both know that isn't something you are worried about, since some males can also get pregnant without being a Creature. Tell me, what is it about being a Submissive that you don't like?"

He internally warred with himself for a few seconds, before blurting it out. "Because Submissive Creatures can't be with humans, and Draco's a human. If I was Dominant, it would be fine, but I'm a Submissive which means I'll forever want a Dominant mate, no matter if I'm happy with a human. It's not fair, I like Draco!"

Lily drew in a harsh, sympathetic breath at his gloomy tone. "Oh, Harry."

"That isn't true." A new voice cut into their conversation, and when they turned, they spotted Ludovico standing in the doorway, James peering over his shoulder. "Even if you were Dominant, you would still crave to be with another Creature. I am sorry that you cannot be with your human, but it is in your best interest to mate with another creature for your wellbeing." The tone wasn't harsh in any way, gentle and understanding, but Harry still flinched as if he'd been hit.

His first instinct was to deny it, but the man was a consultant, he knew more about Creatures than Harry probably would ever. His next was to continue ranting and raving about the injustices of being a Creature and being forced to be with another one, but there was nothing he could do about that. Instead, he spoke in a soft voice, pleading for the answer to be different. "Can I truly not be with Draco?"

"If he isn't a creature, then no, it would not be in the best interests of either of you. He would never be able to give you the children your creature desperately craves, and you will far outlive his lifespan, as we Fae do not have the same concept of old age- leaving you to mourn him for the rest of your life. We have a time when we are considered an Elder or Ancient, but never do we die because of that age."

"What?"

"We cannot die unless we are killed, it's why there are many Fae still living that are long past their tenth Millenium when our kinds ancient years begin."

The information startled him out of his misery. "Ten thousand years..." It was a longer time than he could perceivably imagine, stretching far beyond concept. And he was one of those Creatures who could live for that seemingly endless amount of time...

Ludovico, noticing that he was no longer as upset as before, cleared his throat. "Yes. Now, do you have any questions you would like to ask me? There is no need to think of everything, the Council has seen fit for me to pass along to you a few books from our library. They are all self-updating, so there shouldn't be any outdated information inside. I recommend that you read as many as possible before your mate meeting, starting with those at the top of the pile as a priority."

"Um, what's mate meeting?"

"A Mate meeting is a gathering of Dominants called upon by the Council when a Submissive comes into their inheritance, such is why I needed to inform them of your classification. This is where you will find your lifelong Dominant partner or partners. Do you perhaps have a date in mind for when this shall be? You shouldn't leave it too long, many Submissives start to go insane after a while with no Dominant mate to ground them, which is why time is of the essence."

"When is your closest date possible?"

"Mum-" Harry's head whipped round to stare at his mum, open-mouthed. Why was she trying to ship him off as soon as possible!?

"Insanity is a grave thing, Son. Do not try to tempt it, you know what has happened to Sirius' family because of it."

"The closest date would be the fourth of August."

"Mum, that's in three days, that's way too soon!"

"Mate meetings can take weeks, even months to finish, you almost certainly won't meet your potential mate on the first day, and even after that, you can take as long as you would like to announce your interest in them. And then there's the matter if your creature desires multiple mates, which can prolong the meetings even further."

"And you start your seventh year in only a month's time. Surely it is best to start as soon as possible, you wouldn't want it to go too far into your school time." Harry thought that through for a few seconds, brain whirling at the suddenness of the decision thrust upon him, before nodding his consent.

"Then I will inform the council of your decision so that they may begin to gather the Dominants. Have you another question?"

He hummed in thought, his fluttering iridescent wings catching his eye. "Do the colour of our wings mean anything?"

"Yes, they do, in fact. With Fae, wing colours run in the family. The Luwynn family, our royal family if you will, have brilliant golden wings shaped like a dragonfly's. Your wings, with their iridescence and rounded look, remind me of the Sermoira family's."

He looked to his mother, whose eyes had widened slightly. Had she heard of them before, the family who were probably the cause of his creature inheritance, and therefore her ancestors? "The Sermoira family?"

"They are a wealthy, noble family in our society. I am certain that you must be a descendant of one of their magical humans, or perhaps a squib that went into the muggle world. Another tell that you are their descendant is the shade of green your eyes are. Only the Fae in the Sermoira family possess that shade of Emerald green."

"So, it might really be me that gave you creature blood?" His mother looked timider than he'd ever seen her before, eyes downcast.

"It is without a doubt you who passed down the gene, Lady Potter. Although your eyes are not quite the same shade as a Fae of that lines would be, you still carry hints of that infamous green in yours, showing that you are a carrier of their bloodline."

Lily blew out a deep breath, her eyes wide and unseeing. James, seeing that his wife was struggling with the recent information, smiled genially at their guest, who looked back at him with understanding.

"Thank you greatly for your help, Consultant Vitali."

"It is a pleasure to educate new Creatures about our world, it was no chore for me, Lord Potter. I will be leaving the books here, if I may?"

"Yes, please do."

Ludo placed the pile on the centre table, eyeing Harry with a soft look. "If you have any questions, any at all, please contact the Council, they would be happy to cooperate."

"We will."

Harry took him to the floo, intending to see him off. Before he threw the floo powder in the fire, he turned to Harry with sparkling eyes. "I wish you well in your upcoming mate meeting. I hope that you will find Dominants there that meet all of your expectations." He smiled, before throwing in the powder and calling out something in a tongue so ancient it sent shivers down his spine, yet he understood what was said perfectly. " The Land of The Fair Folk, Council Atrium! "

Suddenly, the thought of diving straight into those books sounded very appealing to Harry.

He settled down at his desk later that day, eyeing the towering pile of books next to him. The first book he picked up had a note attached to it, instructing him that it should be read before he started the others.

' Magical Inheritances: An overview of this spectacular phenomenon '

The book wasn't overly large, although he guessed that was because it only covered the topics within briefly, unlike some of the others laid out on the table that looked much more challenging and specialised. Especially the one that looked as if it was at least twice the size of the one he held.

Contents

Chapter 1: A Creature Inheritance and what it means for your future

Chapter 2: The Council Of Creatures

Chapter 3: Laws & Regulations- The countries of the world.

Chapter 4: The Creature Acts: 1247, 1519, 1723, 1811 and 1959

Chapter 5: Being or Beast?

Chapter 6: Veela

Chapter 7: Dragonborn

Chapter 8: Vampires

Chapter 9: Fae

Chapter 10: Boreads

Chapter 11: Minor Creatures

Chapter 12: Submissives and Dominants

Chapter 13: Meetings, Mateships & Children

Chapter 14: Founding Families: The Rules of the Creature world.

Chapter 1: A Creature Inheritance and what it means for your future

A Creature inheritance is what occurs when you come of age and manifest your latent creature attributes that have been undetectable to anyone since your first few hours of life. The origins of this occurrence are unknown, lost to time, but investigations strongly suggest that you must either have a creature parent to be one, or one of your parents carries the creature gene. Not every child born to a creature bloodline will be a creature, or even a carrier, as creature blood is particular with who it manifests in.

A child who will present as a creature contains the latent ability to become one from conception, however, they don't show these attributes until they are of age- unless they are from a Creature parent, in some species' cases.

Creatures not born to a Creature, but do have creature blood in their line, will come into an inheritance at seventeen and will not exhibit major signs of their ancestry until then. This is even the case with creatures born to creature parents, such as Dragonborn, Veela and Boreads. On the other hand, Fae and Vampire children born to creature parents would have shown creature attributes earlier on in their lives, such as their fangs growing in, and their delayed physical development.

It was simple enough to understand- and after reading the rest of the chapter that went further into detail about creature inheritances, he figured he could even give Hermione a run for her money about this particular topic.

If he didn't allow her to dive into researching it beforehand, anyways.

A creature inheritance is both a curse and a blessing for you, to sum it all up. It will allow you a greater range of jobs than if you had only been a wizard, but also subjects you to a lot of prejudice from non-creatures.

Harry nodded to himself. Everything that had been said made perfect sense to him. Even he knew about the rampant prejudice creatures faced from the public, he only had to look at how they treated his Uncle Remus to realise this.

Chapter 2: The Council of Creatures

The Council of Creatures is the second highest authority in the Creature world, consisting of representatives from some of the different species under their jurisdiction, and only ranks below the royal families of each major species in the Creature Hierarchy.

The Council, however, only presides over those creatures that are deemed humanoid enough, such as Dragonborn, Veela and Fae. Centaurs are not on the list of Creatures under their jurisdiction because they refused to join a council that includes vampires as equals, despite their clearly humanoid characteristics.

The current council members consist of three Fae, two Boreads, three Vampires, two Veela, two Dragonborn, one Elf, one Dryad, one Nymph, one Banshee and one Mer. Each of these creatures is very respected in the Creature world, having all made life for their kind better in some way or another.

The rest of the chapter was the author introducing each of the council members, ending with the leader of the council.

Nylian Luwynn- One of the many sons of the rulers of the Fair Folk, he is a majorly respected creature in our world, being over seven thousand years old, and a significant figure in the 'Creature Rights Campaign' that gave Creatures back their 'Being' status in 1811 after it was so ruthlessly and unlawfully taken away from them in the early 1500s.

Harry had choked at that startling piece of information. Seven thousand was a lot of years, and this man had parents that were still alive? He could still hardly believe what the chaperone had said, that there were Fae alive that were past their tenth Millenium. Past it.

His hand itched to turn straight to the Fae section, the iridescent wings on his back shining tauntingly at him as they fluttered minutely. But, he resisted. Ludovico had told him that the information was important to know, and it was in his best interests to listen to the man for now.

Chapter 3: Laws & Regulations- The countries of the world

[Note: Not all countries are listed here, and neither is every law about every creature, as this is only a brief summary of the laws. Please see the book 'Laws and Regulations of The Wizarding World: Creature Edition' for more in-depth information]

Harry skipped through the countries that he thought he had no need for the time being, focusing on those that he would likely visit in the nearer future or that directly impacted him.

Australia:

Creatures of all species are welcomed by the Magical Australian Government, but they are commonly subjected to prejudice by the public, especially Vampires and Dragonborn.

'Creatures must register that they are a creature upon arrival in the country.'- Page 113 in 'The Laws of our Magical Nation'

Britain:

Legally, all manner of creatures can live in Britain without being prosecuted. However, those with notoriously dark backgrounds are shunned and unfairly judged in both the ministry and the public eye.

Dragonborns are highly regulated by the ministry because there being people related to the fearsome XXXXX class beast is not an ideal situation. Vampires, also, face public scrutiny due to their close resemblance to the more common species of Vampire, those who are turned and not born.

In more recent years, the laws surrounding many creatures have become laxer, many restrictions being eased and others abolished for going against various laws of morality.

Harry let himself breathe a sigh of relief. He had been worried that his Creature inheritance would change how he lived, but it seemed as though he could carry on with life as normal, albeit with more prejudice than he was used to.

Egypt:

Egypt's ministry accepts all creatures, without regulations on them as they see Creatures as higher beings. Some even see them as demigods.

France:

France does not accept Vampires. Any attempt to integrate into French society will result in immediate expulsion from the country.

Dragonborn are heavily regulated, due to their relatives, the dragons.

Greece:

Greece does not accept Vampires, not because they are notoriously dark, but because they are a society that holds centaurs in high regard, and Centaurs despise Vampires.

Italy:

Italy does not accept The Fair Folk to permanently reside in the country, because of their sly and deceptive nature, which has caused many of Italy's ancient households to fall into ruin. Although, they are allowed to remain in the country for several weeks at a time, before being expelled.

Spain:

Spain does not accept Dragonborns because of their closest relative, the dragons, danger level. Any Dragonborn revealed to be residing in Spain is to be expelled immediately.

United States:

Creatures would find life hard in the United States with MACUSA around since they would be heavily regulated and not allowed to do much of anything.

'Creatures are to register with MACUSA as soon as they enter the country, so that we may monitor them and keep our citizens safe from any acts of violence.'

Harry noted in his mind, with a little dismay, that he would not be going to the US any time soon.

Chapter 4: The Creature Acts: 1247, 1522, 1723, 1811 and 1959

The Act of 1247- " Creatures are a blessing to our lines. They allow our kind to evolve into stronger, more powerful beings that can protect our world from the dangers of the muggles that roam our lands..."- Charles Deverton, Chief Warlock of The Wizarding Council (1246-1258)

This Law came into effect in 1247, and for centuries onwards, Creatures of all kinds were treated as deities. Of course, this left them wholly unprepared for the next law, less than 300 years later.

The Act of 1522- " They have brought death and destruction to us! Those vile abominations drew the muggle's attention to our kind and are now slaughtering those we love in cold blood! They must be held responsible!"- Arnold Evergreen, Chief Warlock of The Wizarding Council (1516-1524)

With the witch trials on the rise, the magic folk of Britain looked for someone to blame as they didn't wish to admit that they were at fault for exposing themselves, so they placed it on those who they had previously revered, who had been expected to protect them from non-magical beings.

The pictures depicted gruesome scenes of creatures being burned at the stake, charred bodies strewn across the floor by their feet as people in pointed hats danced around them gleefully. It made him shiver in revulsion at the sight, knowing that many creatures alive today would have had to experience these scenes firsthand.

The Act of 1723- " Creatures, they are neither fully beast nor fully being, as we are. They may share our intelligence, our forms, but we will never allow them the same rights as our superior kind..."- Damocles Rowle, Minister of Magic (1718-1726)

Creatures were finally beginning to be seen as part human again, and not fully beast as they were presumed to be for a couple of centuries. But, it still took nearly a century before anyone admitted outright that they could be of equal standing to wizardkind.

The Act of 1811- " A being is any creature that has sufficient intelligence to understand the laws of the magical community and to bear part of the responsibility in shaping those laws..."- Grogan Stump (1811-1819)

With this law, creatures were, in the eyes of the ministry, equal to humans, finally seen as a being over a beast. It was a day to rejoice for creature kind, although the prejudice and hatred have never fully gone away.

However, with the most recent Act of 1959, proposed by Lord Thomas Slytherin, an influential Vampire in his own right, in which he stated: "Creatures and Wixen have the same common ancestor, with Creatures having not evolved away from that ancestor as much, and some Creatures were Wixen before they were Creatures. Therefore, why are Creatures discriminated against so much, when they belong in the magical world more so than many Wixen do?"- Creatures have become even further accepted in society. However, many Wixen still holds their prejudices, and it will be generations yet until true equality between our species is established.

Harry could attest to that fact, having seen in person how creatures were treated still, scowling when he remembered that whenever Remus would take a walk with him in any magical public space, he would have glares and whispered insults thrown his way.

Soon, when his own status as a Creature got out, would he, as an elusive Fae, be treated the same?

Chapter 5: Being or Beast?

As a previous Minister stated- A being is any creature that has sufficient intelligence to understand the laws of the magical community and to bear part of the responsibility in shaping those laws. Therefore, a creature is classified as a being, although many do get confused in some cases.

Dragonborns share characteristics with dragons, but they are considered beings because they have sufficient intelligence, while their counterparts lack it. Although, what really was the deciding factor was the fact that they can completely hide their dragon attributes, allowing themselves to look as a human would.

Many still class Vampires as mindless beasts who only crave violence and death, but that is not the case. Legally, Vampires are considered beings, a fact which centaurs despise. The lies that have spread across the wizarding world about them, however, means that they will never truly be a being in the eyes of those who believe in them. Those of this race, such as Thomas Slytherin, however, are rapidly changing public perception of the species through their exploits and achievements in society. Perhaps one day, Vampires will be observed as more Being than Beast by the majority.

The Fair Folk are a difficult one. They, as a species, have never been as involved with the wizarding world, preferring to stay within their own separate dimension, a place no human has ever taken foot in and returned. Therefore, it has been hard for the ministry to define them, as they are so secluded from each other that they really have no presence in the wizarding world except for a select few. However, eventually, they were still included in the class 'Beings' by the ministry, despite their otherwordly beauty and inhuman aura.

His eyebrows rose at that. 'Separate dimension? How is that even possible!?' To know that his kind lived in a whole different land was slightly frightening, because of the possibility he could be forced to move there and not see his parents again.

Veela are different from most Creature species. They, unlike most, prefer being in their human forms to their Veela ones, as they believe themselves to be 'unsightly' while transformed. This belief of theirs was a leading factor as to why they are classed as 'Beings' by the Ministry. As a species, they are the most widely accepted to be classed as 'Beings', which some attribute to their allure and ability to persuade.

Boreads are a species that not many know of. Originally from Greece, the species migrated to the UK for an unknown reason around two thousand years ago. Because they are so rarely heard about, the Ministry was reluctant to name them 'Beings', knowing that there wouldn't be such a loud outcry at their actions. However, with intervention from the other Creatures of the Council, Boreads were granted 'Being' status as well.

The upcoming chapters were specialised ones focused solely on a singular creature. Harry's eyes were straining already, used to so much reading in one sitting, but he was adamant about getting the book finished and another started today.

Chapter 6: Veela

Veela are semi-human magical beings; beautiful women with white-gold hair and skin that appears to shine moon-bright. When angry, Veela take on a less pleasant appearance; their faces elongate into sharp, cruel-beaked bird heads, and long scaly wings burst from their shoulders.

Life Cycle

Conception

Veela can be conceived in any circumstances, during heat or without it. It is not a necessity for them, as it is with some of the other Creatures

Veela can conceive without having a heat, although they still have them, just less regularly than most creatures.

Pregnancy

A Veela's pregnancy will be alike humans, but much more instinct-driven. They will feel an almost obsessive need to keep their unborn offspring safe, even from their own mates. The Veela will attempt to hide away when they are close to birth, convinced that someone will harm their children.

Veela are usually born singular unless the egg splits, which is a very rare occurrence.

A Veela is carried for thirty-eight weeks but can be viable from twenty-three weeks onwards.

Nesting

Veela's exhibit signs of nesting, but do not actually nest with their young, as they have grown vain of doing such a 'plebian' act. Instead, they will seek seclusion and attempt to give birth on their own but can be persuaded to allow their mates in to help.

Birth

Veela's give birth as humans do, to live young.

Veela's are born without any Veela attributes, only a smell that stays on them for a few hours after birth, so their parent can identify that they are one.

Early life

Veela's grow as humans do, without any accelerated or delayed physical and mental growth. Although, they are incomparably more beautiful than the average human baby.

Childhood

Veela's grow as humans do, although they will often show better flexibility than their peers.

Teenage years

A Veela will come into their inheritance at seventeen years of age, enhancing their already attractive features.

Adult life

Veela's grow as humans do, yet retain their more youthful features for a longer period of time.

Elderly years

When a Veela grows to be around four hundred, they enter their elderly years. This is when they will begin to show the signs of their true age, hair greying and skin wrinkling.

This is also the time when a Veela will no longer have the ability to procreate, infertility occurring when they are around three hundred and fifty to three hundred and seventy years old.

Death

Most Veela live to around four hundred and fifty years of age. The oldest Veela lived to seven hundred and twenty-seven years of age before dying in a quidditch-related incident.

Veela do not have a special species-based tradition with how they bury their dead, instead, they go by their own families' traditions.

Additional

Most of the time, Veela will be born female. Male Veela are extremely rare, so rare in fact that many sources say that they don't exist at all.

Veela see themselves as too 'human' to participate in many Creature gatherings, such as mate meetings, so it is rare to see a Veela at one. They often do, however, make an appearance at the Spring gathering.

With a human, the children born from the coupling will be half Veela if they carry the gene. Veela blood acts oddly when introduced to human blood, mixing with it instead of dominating it. With another creature, they can be born fully Veela.

Harry hadn't known that there was so much more to the Veela than their allure and harpy-like transformations. Wizarding society seemed to be so fixated on these aspects that they forgot to mention the rest, which was much more interesting in his opinion.

Chapter 8: Dragonborn

Dragonborn are semi-human magical Beings; tall and robust men and women that appear all around the globe. When threatened or in moments of emotional upheaval, Dragonborns will change into their beastly forms of half-dragons, with claws as sharp as daggers and wingspans of up to twenty-five feet.

Life Cycle

Conception

Dragonborn can only be conceived during their submissive parent's heat, as they need the correct temperature.

Dragonborn can conceive only during their heat, the extreme temperature needed for their body to react properly.

Pregnancy

A Dragonborn pregnancy is much more robust than a human pregnancy, due to the child being encased within a shell. Therefore, it is harder to miscarry, no matter the species of the carrier. This shell, however, does not appear on ultrasounds for an unknown reason, so it is impossible to know if the child is a Dragonborn before birth. With a human that births a Dragonborn, there is no egg, making the pregnancy less stable.

Dragonborn are strong whilst carrying, their sturdy bodies making it unlikely for them to miscarry.

Dragonborn are often conceived in clutches from three to seven with a Dragonborn carrier, and one to four if they are not. However, not all of the clutch will remain by the end of the pregnancy, as many become absorbed by their clutch mates to make them stronger. A Dragonborn is carried for thirty-two to thirty-six weeks but can be viable from nineteen weeks onwards.

Nesting

Dragonborns begin to exhibit the signs of nesting from a couple of weeks to up to three months before their babies arrive. They will nest anywhere that they deem safe, from a room in their house to inside a cave.

They dislike anyone, even their mates, coming near their nest when they are close to birth. During birth, they will want their mates nearby, but not within a certain radius of them.

Birth

Dragonborn are born in eggs that they must break out of within twenty-four hours. This causes the highest amount of mortality in the whole of the pregnancy, due to the weaker ones not being able to break free.

To aid with the process and strengthen their young, a common practice is to place the eggs in a fire. If there is no movement within three hours, the chick inside is dead. Usually, once placed upon the fire, the eggs hatch within a time span of twelve to eighteen hours, sometimes as many as twenty-four. If the eggs have not hatched by this time, the chicks will not survive outside of the egg even with intervention.

Dragonborn are born without any attributes of their inheritance, except for the egg they are born in. In some cases, the baby may carry a light scent of their inheritance until a day or so after they come out of the egg.

Early life

Dragonborn will age the same as humans, but show accelerated learning capabilities and earlier signs of mobility, such as learning to walk weeks or even months earlier than a human child.

Childhood

They age as a human child would, albeit more advanced mentally and physically.

Teenage years

In their teen years, Dragonborn will become more volatile and aggressive as their inheritance inches closer. They reach inheritance on their seventeenth birthday, which is joyously celebrated by them and their relatives.

Adult life

Their adult years last for a staggering near five thousand years from their seventeenth birthday onwards.

Elder years

Once a Dragonborn is five thousand, they are henceforth referred to as an Elder of their kind.

Ancients

Once a Dragonborn reaches the age of ten thousand, they are considered Ancient.

Death

Death does not come naturally to Dragonborn, but many grow tired of the long years alive, losing the will to live and starving themselves.

Additional

They have a majorly declining population, as fewer of them are being born every year, and more are reaching the age when they no longer have the will to live. However, they are among the most numerous of creature species despite this.

Young Dragonborn can be referred to as 'Hatchlings' or 'Nestlings', but most prefer to refer to them as babies. A group of them is called a 'Clutch'.

The bigger the Dominant Dragonborn's wings are, the more attractive they are to Submissive Dragonborn. 

Chapter 9: Vampires

To the majority of the population, Vampires are considered to be evil creatures that roam the night, their minds consumed by a thirst for blood. Vampires, in reality, are much more civilised, living in communities segregated from the wizarding world. They only hunger for the blood of their kin and those who they mate with, any other tastes vile to them.

Life Cycle

Conception

Vampires, although possessing the ability to conceive no matter the circumstances, rarely wish to do so. Their seemingly eternal lifespan and endless fertility mean that there is no rush for an heir, so instead, they spend most of their life bonding with their mates.

Vampires are incredibly hard to conceive, even within full-Vampire mateships. Only one in every five hundred children born to Vampires is a Vampire. That is a 0.002 chance.

Pregnancy

A Vampire pregnancy is very fragile, and most end in miscarriage. The reason for this is that a Vampire foetus does not stabilise its place inside of the womb until the later stages of pregnancy. This means that even a simple knock can end with the loss of the growing child.

Vampires are born singular to maximise their survival chances. A vampire will not be conceived if there are other babes in the womb, and will be destroyed by other foetuses' if it is conceived before. On extremely rare occasions, the egg will split to create multiples that do not see each other as threats because they are of the same species. An even rarer occurrence is multiple Vampires being conceived from different eggs.

A Vampire is carried for forty-eight to fifty-two weeks but can be viable from thirty-two weeks onwards.

When a Vampire is carrying, they are very susceptible to miscarrying, no matter the species they hold in their womb.

Nesting

Vampires do not nest, but they prefer to be alone when their child is born. Their Mates may be permitted on occasion, although not for long before they are chased away.

Birth

Vampires are born as humans are, with only their small size and paler skin an indication as to what species they are.

Early life

Vampires are very slow to develop physically, but they make up for it mentally.

zero to nine years old = Zero to three physically.

Within a few months after birth, a Vampire's eyes will turn a shocking bright red.

Childhood

Ten to twelve years old = three to twelve physically

Their childhood years are a period of extreme growth. Almost overnight, a Vampire will grow as if weeks have passed, so it is a very short period of time.

At ten to eleven years old (Physically three to nine), Vampire fangs begin to grow in, and they are able to consume blood. The blood they crave at this young age is mostly from their parents, although in rare cases, they can also come to crave the blood of their siblings.

Teenage years

thirteen to seventeen years old = thirteen to seventeen physically

At this age, Vampires grow at the same rate as most, although they are intellectually superior due to increased brain activity.

If the vampire is not born to Creature parents, they will reach their inheritance at 17 years old, where all of their Vampire attributes will flood in at the same time, a painful process.

Adult life

Their adult life lasts for five thousand years, during which they do not appear to age.

Elder title

Once a Vampire is five thousand, they are henceforth referred to as an elder. This is the period in which a Vampire's appearance will change, depending on the magic they contain. Many age decades in appearance, whilst some don't change at all.

Ancient title

Once a Vampire reaches the age of ten thousand, they are considered Ancient, an honour which grants them a seat on the Vampire Council if they can pass a series of tests beforehand.

Death

Vampires are immortal Beings, and can only be killed by special circumstances which the leader of their race solely knows. Vampires who wish to live no longer go to them to die. Only by becoming king can this knowledge be acquired, as magic obscures the vision of all who witness the death.

Additional

Vampires, unlike most creatures, do not crave to have many children. They crave a mate, a lifelong companion, but not children as children will split their mates attention from them. This is why vampires will usually mate with other vampires, as they understand the urge for not many children.

Vampires sometimes refer to their young as 'Nestlings' if they still live within their abodes. Vampires, if they ever have children, are notoriously protective over the few that they have, so it is rare for one to ever shed this title.

Vampires do not often participate in mate meetings, preferring to search on their own for a mate.

It was incredible to discover that other species aged in another way compared to Wixen, and Harry was transfixed by that information until the next chapter's title and adjourning picture caught his attention. It was a painting of a startlingly beautiful creature, with golden hair and equally striking golden eyes, staring emotionlessly forward, breathtaking in a way that left you gasping. He drew forward, eager to know all he could about the Creature he now was.

Chapter 10: Fae

The Fae are beautiful Creatures, otherwordly in appearance, filled with grace and elegance. This particular race of fair folk is undoubtedly the strongest of them all, far surpassing their closest competitor, the high elves. The majority of them reside in another dimension, called 'The Fair Realm'. It is accessible solely to the Fair Folk and invited guests with the permission of the rulers. On the edges of the Fair Realm, in the space between the Earthly realm and itself, lies the Council Halls- accessible by Creatures and their family members for mate meetings and the yearly Creature Meeting.

Life Cycle

Conception

Fae can only be conceived during their parents' heat, due to the heat being needed for their wing gene to be activated. Fae born to those carrying the Fae gene are always conceived due to an extreme temperature change.

Fae can only conceive during their heat unless they meet the temperature requirements- either vastly colder or warmer temperatures than usual.

Pregnancy

A Fae pregnancy is very fragile, and most end in miscarriage.

They are conceived in clutches of up to seven or eight with a Fae carrier, although most don't survive the pregnancy or long after their birth.

Usually, if there are other species' children in the womb alongside them, they will absorb each other to maximise the survival chances of the strongest Fae. Although, there have been a few instances where multiple Fae have been born alongside other species of children, an extremely rare occurrence.

A Fae is carried for forty to forty-four weeks but can be viable from twenty-eight weeks onwards.

When a Fae is carrying, they are very susceptible to miscarriage, no matter the species they hold in their womb.

Nesting

Faes favour their nests to be high above the ground, preferably the inside of a hollow tree so that it gives them extra protection.

They do not mind their mates entering their nest, as long as they do not linger for a long time. Failure to leave after being warned will result in forced expulsion from their vicinity, violently if needed.

Birth

The Fae are born in sacs that they absorb in the hours after birth. They are born in these because a Fae is very vulnerable to sudden temperature change after birth, so these sacs allow them to adjust easier. They are also there to protect a Sprite's delicate wings until they harden with the gradual introduction of air.

Early life

The Fae are slow physical developers in their early years, but they make up for it mentally.

zero to six years old= zero to three physically.

Childhood

In childhood, every one and a half year is one year of growth for a Fae. Meaning that at seven and a half years old, they would be physically four, and at nine years, they would be physically five. Childhood for Fae lasts until they are nineteen and a half years old, or physically twelve.

Teenage years

The same terms of growth apply to a Fae's teenage years.

At the age of twenty-seven (physically seventeen), they are legally considered of age (If they are a Fae-Born), and they stop growing. A Fae born to human parents is considered an adult at seventeen when they come into their inheritance.

Adult life

Their adult life lasts for five thousand years, from young adults all the way to mature adults.

Elder title

Once a Fae reaches the age of five thousand, they are henceforth referred to as an Elder.

Ancient title

Once a Fae reaches the age of ten thousand, they are bestowed with the title 'Ancient'. To be referred to as 'Ancient' in the Fae Realm is an honour. From the little we know about the ongoings inside of the realm, huge celebrations are held in the streets for this occasion.

Death

Fae can live for tens of thousands of years, perhaps even longer as no Fae has died of old age in documented history.

Additional

When Fae mate with another creature, their children will never be Fae with that mate, that's why Fae dislike mating with anyone other than a Fae.

When Fae mate with humans, an unlikely occurrence, their children are more likely to be humans- but they can carry the Fae gene, no matter how diluted the Fae blood may become. The Fae records hold the family trees of these bloodlines, continuously observing them until a Fae appears after their inheritance.

Usually, only one Fae babe from a clutch will survive to adulthood. In many cases, none survive. A baby Fae is occasionally referred to as a 'Sprite', a 'Faeling' or an 'Imp', although most call them 'Baby Fae'.

The Fae take pride in their Creature characteristics but can hide them if needed. Wing colours run in the family, such as the golden wings of the Luwynn family. Some Fae families carry special powers in their bloodline, the knowledge of what they are heavily guarded against outsiders.

The Fae prefer to find a mate in their own city, and only attend mate meetings if it is a human-born fae.

Harry felt especially happy as he read through the chapter that he had been born to wizarding parents. If he had not, he would have had to suffer through the slow growth of young Fae, and he didn't know how he would have coped.

Chapter 11: Boreads

Boreads? He had never heard of such a Creature, and they were one of the main five?

Boreads, named after the twin sons of Boreas, are elegant, semi-human creatures with golden wings that look as if they are made from the metal itself. They are the only creature in existence that's lifespan alters to mirror their mates, making them very unique creatures.

Life Cycle

Mating

Boreads can be conceived whenever, although the chance of conceiving a Boread is very slim. Around one in a hundred births from a Boreads coupling produces this rare creature.

Boreads can conceive whenever, and do not enter heat as many creatures do. Because of this, however, carriers find themselves unable to satisfy their innate craving for many children, due to the decreased chance of conception with no heat to help.

Pregnancy

They are always conceived in pairs, echoing their namesakes. A single-birthed Boread means that it absorbed its twin, and any more than two means that they are separate lots of twins.

Boreads have no increase nor decrease in the chances of miscarriage when carrying compared to a human.

Boreads are carried for thirty-six to forty weeks, although they can survive from twenty-one weeks onwards with intervention.

Boreads have a slightly increased chance of being miscarried compared to humans.

Nesting

Boreads do exhibit nest making but can choose whether to nest or not. They usually begin to create their nests a few weeks before birth.

Birth

Boreads are born as humans are, although, during their first moments of life, they may exhibit an unearthly golden glow that vanishes soon after.

Early life

Boreads grow at the same rate as humans do, although they may begin to hit milestones earlier than usual.

Childhood

They are the same as humans, except they may begin to show signs of growing vanity at this age.

Teenage years

Their vanity increases dramatically, to the point where it can be seen as obsessive. Fortunately, when a Boread reaches their inheritance at the age of seventeen, their new features will please them and allow them to see themselves finally as perfectly beautiful. Their outward vanity will be a bit more subdued after that, as they will internally believe that they are so beautiful that people must notice, so they have no need to prove it.

Adult life

Boreads mirror the lifespan of their most beloved. If they are a human, they will live a human lifespan. If they are a vampire, Boreads are similarly immortal. With multiple partners, if the Boread is submissive, they will take on the average lifespan of their mates. If the Boread is dominant, they will mirror their submissive.

Additional

The majority of Boreads have 'delicate and graceful hair'. Their retractable wings gleam with golden scales. They come in all shades of gold, and usually, submissive Boreads are more attracted to the wings that gleam the brightest gold.

Boreads will mainly be more male, as females are rare.

Boreads have an extremely small population, so small that most have never heard of them.

A baby Boread may be referred to as a 'Nestling' or a 'Hatchling', although most just refer to them as babies.

Even though their vain nature decreases at seventeen, it will still be far higher than most people's.

They sounded, unlike any Creature he had come across before, although he could see similarities between them and Veela. Were they perhaps a subspecies of them, or was it the other way around?

Chapter 12: Minor Creatures

High Elves

Elves are semi-human creatures, beautiful in appearance but bland in personality.

Not much is known about these creatures, except that they do not share their relatives, the Fae's, almost infinite lifespan. Instead, this creature lives to a maximum of five thousand years.

Harry skipped through the chapter, only taking note of some of the more intriguing information. The chapter itself was short as well, not going into much detail as it had the previous species.

Chapter 13: Submissives and Dominants

Submissives and Dominants are the classifications given to creatures when they reach maturity and display the attributes for their assigned class.

Dominants

Those named 'Dominants' are the creatures who are tasked with roles such as being the protectors and fighters of their mateship. Their first and foremost job is to protect the Submissive that chose them, along with any young that that Submissive may produce, blood or not to the Dominant.

Submissives

Those named 'Submissives' are the creatures who are tasked with roles such as being the caregivers to their children and mates, as well as the peacemakers, keeping the mateship running smoothly. Their first and foremost job is to care for their children, even above themselves. This is instinctive and can be very hard to get around.

They also have a period called a 'heat' where they will feel the undying need to reproduce with their mates. In most creatures, this is the only time when they can procreate.

The 'chapter' only took up a page in the book and wasn't at all enough information to help soothe his worries about being a Submissive. He just hoped that one of the many other books contained more.

Chapter 14: Meetings, Mateships & Children

Meetings

Meetings are held for Submissives to find their Dominant mates. Dominants from all over the world will attend in the hopes that they are chosen.

The meeting can either be held at their own designated place or in the council halls. The Council will arrange for there to be sufficient guards in attendance, as well as a personal chaperone to sit in the meetings with the Submissive.

The Submissive the meeting is held for has complete control over the meetings and is allowed to stop them at any time, as long as they do agree to continue with the meetings within a few days.

A meeting will finish when the Submissive has found all of their needed mates, something that can take as little as a few days to as long as a few months.

Mateships

Mateships are composed of only one Submissive and their chosen Dominants. The number of Dominants can vary, from as little as a singular Dominant to a record of five.

At the age of seventeen or over, a Submissive will attend meetings to pick out their mates, a process which can take as little as a few days to many months, until they feel their Creature settle, content with the amount.

Mateships are the backbone of Creature society. Without them, the world would be in chaos, as without a mate, a Creature would lose their mind.

Children

Having young is the sole purpose of a mateships existence. Most Creatures crave to reproduce, and in the days of old, would search far and wide for a Submissive or Dominant to join with so that they could procreate with one another.

Most Creatures feel the instinctive need to continually reproduce, so it is very normal for there to be many children at the end of a creature's fertile years, although, fertility does decrease as a Creature nears the end of these years.

Children are sacred to creatures, no matter if that child turns out to be a Creature themself or not. Many Creatures show overprotective tendencies towards their children, driven by their instincts to keep them safe from harm.

Chapter 15: Founding Families: The Rulers of the Creature World

These five families came together thousands of years ago to create order in the creature world, subsequently becoming the rulers of it. Each of these families has two members on the Council.

The current heads of each family and subsequent rulers of that race are:

Luwynn-The Fair folk- Fae King Vesias Luwynn- 10027

The Luwynn family's origins predate written history, and it is only by word passed down through the generations that the family know of their beginning. However, this knowledge has never been revealed to the public and is a fiercely kept secret in the family.

Slytherin- Vampires- Vampire King Salazar Slytherin- 1043

The Slytherin family is infamous throughout the magical world, due to their current head and leader of the vampire race being one of the founders of the prestigious school, Hogwarts. However, the knowledge that Salazar Slytherin is both a Vampire and a king is, surprisingly, little known in society.

Astaseul- Boreads- Boread King Anwynn Astaseul- 4675

The Astaseul family, once plentiful, is now on the decline with the sharp decrease in Boread births. The family now only contains six Boreads- The King himself, his three times great-grandson, his sixteen times great-grandson, his forty-four times great-grandson, his one hundred and three great-grandson and his two hundred and twenty-five times great-grandaughter (Aged one hundred and sixty-four).

Clarille- Veela- Veela Queen Larissa Clarille- 534

The Clarille family, formerly known as The Clarillius Family, was founded in 2568 BC by its first head, Wesley Clarillius. Wesley Clarillius was one of the five rulers who helped found the creature world that we know today.

Yllathyra- Dragonborn- Dragonborn Queen Aadya Yllathyra- 8319

The Yllathyra Clan is one said to be descended from the dragons of old, the fiercest beasts to have ever walked the earth. These ancient creatures went extinct many thousands of years ago, leaving behind their weaker counterparts, the dragons we know today, and their close relatives, the Dragonborn.

Harry shut the book with a sigh as it finally came to an end, looking warily over to the pile in front of him. It had been informative, but... With a groan, he allowed his head to slam onto the table. "This is going to take forever."

August 2nd

'-there is still, unfortunately, no way to suppress a Submissives heat or dampen the effect it has on the Submissive and their Dominants minds.'

"Why are you scowling at that book as if it's ruined your life?" Lia's lip twitched in amusement as she watched her brother's expressions.

"Because it has, that's why," Harry responded mournfully, letting the book close.

"Aww, what's the nasty book done to poor ickle Harrykins?"

He simply ignored her taunting tone, instead, looking up with the most serious expression he could muster. "It told me that there's no way to stop myself from having hot sex for-"

Her face twisted in disgust, not having expected him to actually share. "Ew, Harry, shut-"

"- days and-"

"-up! Harry!"

"-days-"

"Mum! Tell Harry to shut his gob!" She shouted towards the kitchen, looking sickened.

"- I'd be exhausted but-"

"Enough, Harry. No need to distress your sister."

"She asked what was bothering me, and I answered." He defended himself, looking up at his Mum with wide, innocent eyes. She gave him a disbelieving look, before rolling her eyes and hurrying back into the kitchen where his father was attempting to cook dinner. Emphasis on attempting.

"James! You don't put peas in the oven!"

"How else are you supposed to cook them then? Burn them with an incendio?"

"No! When have you ever seen me cast incendio on the peas?!"

"I was being sarcastic, darling."

"Well, it sounded like something you'd attempt, if only to test it out."

"Hey, I have a brain!"

"Well use it then! The peas go in a saucepan with water on top of the stove."

"Oh."

A sigh. "James, please get out of my kitchen."

"But I wanted to cook dinner~"

"You can cook tomorrow, darling."

Harry toned them out after that, reopening his book once more. He had made quite a bit of progress through the pile, about a quarter of it gone already, but he knew that he wasn't going to finish them all by the time the meeting started on Monday.

'This consequently means that during a Submissives fertile period, there is no way to stop them from getting pregnant, as pills don't work and none of the mateship will be in their right mind to use other contraceptives.'  Remembering why he'd closed it in the first place, Harry threw the book onto the other side of the table, instead, picking up another.

'Your Children And You: A guide to rearing the young'

Thunk

"That was a bit unnecessary, don't you think?"

"Shut up."

August 3rd

A knock at his door startled him from his daydream. " Come in."

"Pup, look what your fabulous godfather has got for you!" Sirius strode in, smiling wickedly with a tower of books in his arms. He dropped them on Harry's desk unceremoniously, stepping back with a proud look on his face.

"Where did you get these from, Siri? They look old as anything." Harry reached for one and cracked it open, feeling lightheaded at the sight of the date.

'1453'

"From the Black Library. Mother was oh so distressed when I came out with them, but Reggie allowed it so it was fine." He waved off his godson's concerns with a waft of his hand.

"Oh. And are they all really old?"

"The newest one is from 1876 and the oldest from 1141, but they shouldn't be too outdated. I mean, the creature society has been around for Millenium before the wizarding one. Surely the norms and values can't change too drastically in a community that contains people over the age of ten thousand."

Harry read the title of the book he was holding.  'Courting Creatures: The do's and don'ts of 15th Century Britain'  "Yeah, they'll do just fine."

The blinding grin he received was worth the white lie.

Chapter Text

4th August

The morning of the fourth of August had arrived much too quickly, Harry thought as he rushed around the house, his brother clinging to his leg and his youngest sister screaming in the background. The house was a hectic mess, despite their prior planning over the past couple of days.

Sirius had arrived to babysit Peony and Dylan whilst they were at the Council Halls for the day, and as it turned out, they had forgotten to mention to the pair that they weren't going to be receiving the family's undivided attention for the morning. This did not go down well with them, and they had pitched a screaming fit for the whole house to hear, which Peony was still going at. Dylan, on the other hand, had surmised that he was the reason they were leaving, and had decided to cling to him, greatly hindering his movements as he tried to get everything ready.

He really should have packed his bags the night before, when his mum had told him to.

"Dylan, please, I need to get everything ready!"

"No! No, you stay!"

"Dylan!" Harry huffed, reaching down to pry the toddler off of his leg, who didn't appreciate that one bit, screaming out his disapproval as he was hefted up into secure arms. "I'm sorry, but we really need to go soon, so I need to pack." It didn't help with his anxiety over the meeting that he hadn't managed to finish all of the books he'd been given, adding to the stress he was feeling. He'd decided to pack at least one of those books, hoping that there would be some downtime in which he could read some more. Harry had no idea how this meeting was going to go, or any sort of schedule, so he was only guessing what to bring currently.

His brother continued to wail within his arms, so Harry backtracked back to the living room to deposit the toddler into Sirius' arms, who looked stressed beyond belief. Sirius stared at him with betrayed eyes as he walked quickly out of the room, and towards his bedroom, dodging a tired-looking Liana on the way who had, by the looks of it, been woken up by the racket.

Harry packed his bag quickly and rushed down the stairs. It was already hedging on eleven o'clock, the time when they were expected in the Hall, and he skidded to a halt by the floo just as his bedraggled-looking parents entered the room.

"Good, you're ready. Shall we head off now?" His dad asked, and Harry nodded his head rapidly, wanting to be out of the manor as quickly as possible and away from his siblings. James chuckled as he handed him the dish containing the floo power.

With a deep breath, Harry called out: "The Land of The Fair Folk, Council Atrium!" and stepped into the roaring flames. He stepped ungracefully out of the floo on the other side, and promptly tripped onto the heavily polished marble floor of the Creature Council halls, his parents following him through not long afterwards. His mum pulled him to his feet with a bit of fussing as he brushed her off, embarrassed to have fallen in such a public place. Harry looked around then, making sure that his blunder hadn't been witnessed, only to stare at the sight.

The Potters stood, grouped together, seeming out of place in the grandeur they found themselves surrounded by. 

The main hall was dazzling to look at, all gold and marble, decorated lavishly with carvings of Fae and nature adorning every inch of it. There were grand, embellished pillars to hold up the domed ceiling, which itself was made of stained glass, creating captivating patterns upon the reflective flooring.

"Is this... the right place? Should we be here?" Harry agreed with his dad full-heartedly but didn't dare speak a word in the midst of such magnificence.

"I assume you to be the Potters?" A voice spoke to the side, causing them all to reflexively flinch away, hands darting tellingly to their pockets. Harry was the first to recover, straightening himself, and meeting the smiling man's eyes. He was tall and imposing, with dark wings that looked like a dragon's curling around his body slightly.

"Yes, we are. I am Harry Potter, and these are my parents."

"Lord James and Lady Lily Potter." Another voice called out from the other side, so gently that It took Harry a moment to comprehend it. His head twisted, and there stood an elderly man with greenish-blue-hued wings trailing behind him like a cloak.

Harry was hesitant to respond. "...Yes."

The man grinned, revealing slightly pointed teeth with his smile. "Marvelous! Thank you all for arriving so punctually. I am the head chaperone of Mr Potter's meeting, Elder Sampson Murr, and my companion over the head of protection for this meeting, Sir Alden Wallis." 

"It is an honour to meet you, Elder Murr, Sir Wallis."

"It is an honour to me to once again be able to host a human-born Submissive Fae's mate meeting. It has been quite a while since I witnessed one."

The fact that the Elder Fae admitted that it was a while ago was telling that this event occurred well before Harry himself was born, most likely his parents and great-grandparents too. "And how long ago was the last?"

"Oh, it must have been around two hundred years ago, give or take a few decades."

Harry's eyes widened. "Submissives Fae's don't come about often?"

"Human-born ones, no. They are more common to Fae parents, although still not as common as Dominants are. But that's why Submissives usually choose more than one, which keeps the population stable. You will be a very sought-after man, Mr Potter."

He gulped. "I'm not sure whether that's a good thing in my mind, at the moment." The Elder laughed throatily, holding out his hand for Harry to take. They began to walk, his parents trailing behind them and Sir Wallis taking up the rear. They walked further into the building, through a pair of gigantic oaken doors, and into an equally lavish hallway that screamed of money.

"Not to worry, most born to humans aren't too pleased to attend these, but I'll have you know, the vast majority walk away happy."

"And what about those that don't?"

"Those that don't are the ones who refuse any mates. And, unfortunately, they go insane soon after. A dreadful occurrence, but we cannot force Submissives to choose a mate, it is their own choice who to spend their life with, after all." He gave Harry a reassuring look, and at the reminder that it was his choice, he relaxed slightly.

"Well, I hope there's at least one tolerable person in there." The Elder chuckled once more, nodding his head to the many guards that they passed in the hallway. This drew Harry's attention to them, as he hadn't noticed them before. Decked in what looked like armour made of an obsidian-coloured material, with a gun strapped to their side and a wand to the other, they looked imposing and downright terrifying. It was good to know that they were here to protect him.

They turned a corner, climbed up a flight of never-ending stairs, and continued along another corridor until they stopped outside of a set of smaller oaken doors. "These are to be your chambers for the entirety of your stay here, a place for you to relax away from the dominants. It is connected to its own private floo network for ease of transportation between your home and the Council Halls."

His mum spoke up then. "Thank you for being so accommodating, and with such short notice."

"It is no trouble, the Submissives who have had their worlds turned upside down overnight should be made to feel as comfortable as possible in such circumstances." Elder Murr nodded to the two guards standing on either side of the doors to push them open, which revealed a beautiful sitting room. Warmly furnished in shades of brown and white, with a glass wall facing the front gardens, it was cosy and a perfect space to escape to.

He felt something stir within him, approving of the room. His Creature side? Whatever it was, it agreed with him, and he left it at that. "This is perfect."

"I'm glad you like it. Would you like some refreshments to be brought up? I'm afraid that we have some details to go through until I can leave you."

"Yes, that would be wonderful."

"Nil, please inform the kitchen staff to bring up something light. Sir Wallis, could you replace Nil's spot for the time being?"

"Yes, Elder."

"Excellent, now then, let's get settled." He, alongside James, took a seat on the sofas in the room whilst Harry made his way over to the glass wall, curious about the view. He almost wished he'd stayed away as he spotted the packs of dominants entering the Hall.

He watched them through the window: groups spilling out of the floo's on the walls of the Council Hall, out of their transportation, a few apparating in, all of them milling into the building. It made him shiver to think that they were all coming to the halls for him. And, apparently, they had been arriving in the days before, ever since the Council had sent out news of his inheritance on the first.

Some of them, he could reluctantly admit to himself were attractive- bulky men with brown hair and leathery wings of crimson red, lithe ones with golden hair and dainty wings of glittering blues, men beautiful beyond compare that seemed to shine- but others...

He could hear them: shouting boisterously, barging into each other, exchanging insults, showing off their characteristics by flaring their wings and polluting the air with the sharp smell of aggression.

Harry turned away from the window, meeting the eyes of his mum, who looked equally as appaled as he did. "Why do I have to do this again?"

"Insanity, Harry."

He looked down at the rabble once more. "If I have to mate with any of them, I think that might drive me to insanity anyway." Elder Murr made a noise in the back of his throat but didn't comment further. "Elder Murr, is it alright if I ask you some questions?"

"Yes, of course, I am here to answer them all as well as to give you all the information you need to know for your mate meeting to go as smoothly as possible. What would you like to know?"

"If you had to estimate, in total, how many dominants are going to be here? From what I've seen only from out the window, there's at least more than thirty."

The man hummed in thoughtfully. "I cannot give you a fully accurate answer because many will arrive throughout the duration of the mate meeting. Although, I can tell you that around five hundred have already arrived. News that you are here must have spread since there seems to be an influx of arrivals now."

"Five hundred... and do I have to meet all of them?"

"If you want to pick the best dominants for yourself, I recommend it. Although, as I am about to ask, there are a few ways to lessen that number. Now, Harry, In what order do you wish to meet the dominants? So that we may group them into certain days."

He hummed, thinking. Grouping it by age might work, but that had its faults. As did grouping it by species. The only way he could reduce biases would be: "Alphabetically, that seems to be the best option. By their last names."

"Alphabetically..." Elder Murr wrote this down in his notebook, taking his request seriously. "And do you have any preferences? Species, age, gender, marital status?"

That confused him. "Marital status? Why would those who are married be here?"

"Because as a Creature, they crave a Creature mate, but they have married a non-Creature. Finding a mate and being married are two separate things." The Elder explained patiently, pen tapping on the notebook. By his expression, he clearly disapproved of such practice.

"Unmarried, please. And also not in any romantic relationships. And for gender... I only like men." The Elder hummed, writing again. "As for age...most Creatures live for a long time, so I assume many are still unmated despite their age? I'd have to say that I wouldn't feel comfortable choosing anyone too old..."

"How about you put down a maximum of, say, one hundred? That's relatively close to your age."

Harry blanched. "That's-that's way too old!" The Elder continued to look at him, raising an eyebrow. "Isn't it? Well, I suppose, in Fae, Dragonborn and Vampire terms, you're only old when you're five thousand...and even then..." He chewed at his lip. "How about seventy-five? No, that still feels like it's too old for me..."

"It is your choice, Mr Potter. No matter what age limit you put, you can refuse whoever you like when meeting them, even if they are only one year too old for your liking."

"Ok, yeah, put down seventy-five."

"So, you wish to meet the dominants in Alphabetical order. All female dominants are to be sent home, as well as those who are in romantic or marital relationships, and over the age of seventy-five. Anything else?"

"Um, those with a criminal record as well, damning stuff, you know?" He wrote it down, a serious expression on his face as he did so.

"Of course, those with a bad record are sent home as soon as they enter these doors. There is no chance that we would allow people like that to be matched with young Submissives such as yourself. Is that all?"

"I think so? I can't think of anything else."

"Not to worry, you will be given a brief profile of each Dominant whilst you are meeting with them which will allow you to quickly rule out if you don't wish to mate with them if anything on there bothers you. Speaking of one-to-one meetings, are you comfortable with them? Or would you rather your parents also be in attendance? Of course, I would be there as well, as your chaperone."

"Yeah, I'd prefer if they were there too."

"As you wish. Within these one-to-one, or more so four-to-one, meetings, you will have ten minutes with a chosen Dominant in which they will attempt to impress you into choosing them. Don't feel as though you must pick one during those first meetings, you will be asked after meeting them all to choose a select number to meet again that has interested you. If at any point you feel uncomfortable, we will have the dominant removed at your request and you may return here." Harry nodded his head to show that he was listening. "I believe, taking into account your preferences, the first meetings should take around five days in total."

"If it's over so fast, then why was I told that meetings can take months"

"These are only the first meetings. The next lot should also take a few days, despite that they will contain fewer people, and they will be longer meetings. There is also the fact that dominants arrive even after the meetings have begun, which adds more people to meet and more days to the total. It all depends on when your Creature instincts feel satisfied with the number of mates you have. It could be as simple as one, and you could be done in a matter of days, or it could be as outrageous as five."

A knock on the door announced the arrival of the refreshments, and Harry scarfed down a couple of cupcakes, much to his dad's amusement and mum's disapproval. After sating his hunger, they continued where they'd left off.

"So, my...Fae will tell me when I'm done? That's it? Is it, like, verbal or is it more of a feeling sort of tell?"

"I have been told by my own Submissive, as well as countless others, that it is a feeling. What you believe is your 'inner Fae' is you, after all. Anything that they may 'say' to you is only your own thoughts, and therefore your own feelings."

"There's no separation between me and my Fae?"

"No, you are the same entity. You are a Fae, it's only that your latent instincts have shown up now that you've gone through your inheritance, and they are confusing and foreign so you consider them to be separate from yourself." Elder Murr explained patiently.

Harry had always assumed that being a Creature meant that you gained an extra consciousness that had the characteristics of the creature you were, and that there was a mental separation between the creature side and the human side. He hadn't realised that they were one in the same.

"So, I've always been a Fae? It's only now that I'm seventeen that these instincts have shown up to allow me to know?"

"Hm, mostly yes. In the vast majority of cases, the scent of you being a Fae will tell your parents at birth if you are a Fae or any other species. However, as you were born to both human parents, there was not a scent, only a latent ability to become a Fae. It was in your odds that you would become one, definitely, but there was always the chance that your body was too weak to support the inheritance, and therefore it wouldn't have happened. Take it as a sign that you are healthy, Mr Potter."

"Harry, it feels awkward to be called Mr Potter."

"Harry, then."

After an hour or more so of conversation, in which Harry had some more of the finer, unimportant details explained to him, they headed back home in time for lunch at half twelve. He had expected for them to be gone longer but was grateful to be back, as he was utterly mentally exhausted. So much so, that after he had eaten, Harry slept until dinner, his parents content to leave him to snooze away his stress.

5th August

The next day, Harry woke up shivering from a mix of trepidation, fear and, strangely enough, excitement. Today was the commencement of his mate meeting, and he could barely keep any of his breakfast down, much to the worry of his parents.

At quarter to nine, they flooed into their room in the Council Halls, being greeted by Elder Murr and two others- Elder Yulis and Elder Sampson. Elder Yulis was a stern-looking woman, with blonde hair that was going grey at the roots, and a tall and lithe frame that only added to her intimidation factor. Elder Sampson, on the other hand, was a stockily built man with a beard as long as Dumbledore's, and a wide, welcoming grin that brightened up his brown eyes with a happy light.

"Mr Potter, Lord Potter, Lady Potter, thank you for arriving so promptly. May I introduce to you my fellow chaperones for this meeting- Elder Yulis and Elder Sampson." He looked at each one as he introduced them. "Each has chaperoned countless meetings in the past, so I can assure you that we all know what we are doing, and will do our very best to make sure that your Meeting goes according to plan."

"I am in your capable hands, Elder Murr, Elder Yulis, Elder Sampson." Both chaperones nodded to him in greeting, holding out their hands to shake with both him and his parents, who both looked a little overwhelmed.

Their group headed out of the room and down the stairs, his heart beating ever faster with every step he took. His breathing started to grow audible in the silence, and as the oaken doors leading into the main hall came into sight, he barely repressed the whimper that wanted to tear from his throat.

Behind that door were hundreds of Dominants of all kinds of Creature species, all vying to be his mate at any cost. He could already hear the racket within already, loud bellows and screams, inhuman growls and screeches that made him wince at the feralness in their tone. It made him wish he could turn tail and run, but he wouldn't, he had to do this.

He would not allow himself to go insane, if only for that reason.

The guards standing on either side of the doors took their quick approach as an incentive to open the door, and they began to creak open with a deafening creak, thudding once they slammed onto the walls. Long before they had fully opened, the noise inside had dimmed dramatically, every Dominant within halting their fights, conversations and demonstrations to instead turn their heads towards the door and watch as Harry and his group walked in.

It was nervewracking to enter with every pair of eyes focused solely on himself, only Elder Murr in front of him shielding him partially from the ravenous stares. The smell of aggression in the air alone was enough to make him regret agreeing to this how thing.

Elder drew himself up to his full height, an impressive six foot four- still lacking compared to quite a few of the Dominants he could see- and bellowed out to the crowd. "I will have order in these halls! If you cannot remain civil with one another for more than the five minutes that It took for me to retrieve Mr Potter and his parents, then you should not be here at all! This is the last warning you shall receive, there will be no fighting whatsoever whilst a Submissive is present, am I clear?"

"Yes, Elder." A cacophony of voices responded in a put-out tone, some nearer to him shuffling anxiously as they stared greedily at him, eyes roving his body in a way that made him feel exposed and uncomfortable. He shifted closer to his Dad, who wrapped a comforting arm around his shoulders, smile strained.

Elder Murr looked back at him, and in a quieter voice, questioned him. "Now, Harry dear, do you wish to introduce yourself, or shall I do it for you?"

Harry shrank back at the mere thought of speaking up in front of a crowd so large. He had never been the most outgoing of people, only sticking close to a few close friends, and inhabiting the same social groups since he was young. This was all very new to him, and not at all welcome. "Please, could you?" He pleaded in a timid voice, barely audible to the man who stood right in front of him. Still, the Elder smiled at him comfortingly.

"Of course." He turned back to the giant crowd in front. "May I introduce to you all, Harry Potter, a Submissive Fae and a student at Hogwarts. As per usual, you will each meet with Mr Potter in a controlled meeting for ten minutes as a maximum. Mr Potter had decided to proceed with these meetings in alphabetical order. When your name is called, please proceed to the meeting room, which is through those double doors and down the connecting hallway." He pointed to oaken doors that Harry hadn't noticed before, on the left-hand side of the hall. They would have to walk through the crowd to reach them. "The room is warded for Mr Potters's protection, and any Dominant that is forcibly removed from the room will be barred from entering again, which also goes for any Dominant attempting to enter out of turn." Elder Murr turned to him once more. "Harry, would you like to proceed with the meetings now, or do you wish for more time?"

Harry drew in a deep breath, eyeing the eager-looking Dominants surrounding their little group anxiously. All he wanted was to get out of this crowd! "Yes, I'd rather start them sooner than later." He nodded seriously, making eye contact with the other Elders, who tensed themselves into defensive positions and drew closer to him and his parents, protecting them as they moved steadily through the throng of parting Dominants. Some were less respectful, attempting to grab at him as he passed them, but their behaviour didn't go unpunished as the Elders smacked their hands away, and guards descended upon them like hounds to blood.

Finally, they made it into the meeting room, which was large and airy, coloured in creams, whites and dark greens. What Harry enjoyed best about the room, however, was the glass wall that allowed them to look out onto a lush-looking courtyard filled to the brim with greenery of all sorts. It calmed him down enough to relax into the soft, cushiony sofa he was settled on, between his parents and Elder Murr. Elder Yulis and Sampson stayed outside in the hallway, and the two guards who had been posted there before entered the room to stand by the doors.

He was a little uncomfortable with their presence, as he had been told that there was only going to be the four of them, but reasoned with himself that they were simply there for his protection and nothing else. After another five minutes of settling, in which Elder Murr went over a brief overview of the day again, and handed him a stack of papers containing the information of the Dominants he'd be meeting today, Harry was ready to start his mate meeting properly.

Harry's first meeting was with a man named Harvey Abersmith, a tall, heavily muscled man that swaggered into the meeting room as if he owned the place, and they should be grateful for his presence. Harry immediately didn't like the man, looking down at the file in his hands instead to read it, not wanting to have to pay him any attention for the time being.

Name: Harvey Abersmith

Age: Thirty-five

Species: Dragonborn

Nationality: Scottish

Occupation: Build-

The Dominant let out a gruff huff, collapsing back onto the sofa. "What is this, a book club?" Harry didn't look up at his interjection, continuing to read. "Hey, how dare you not look at me! A Submissive should always greet a Dominant when they walk into the room, and only when they've been acknowledged, can they look away. Do you have no manners, boy?" Harry was absolutely gobsmacked in the face of such arrogance. He raised his eyes to look at the Dominant splayed across the sofa in front of him, a scowl upon his face. Harvey grinned as their eyes met. "That's better, I can see your pretty eyes now. Cor, you're a looker, eh? Bet you'd look even prettier-"

"Get him out."

The dominant's eyes bulged in his head, face turning an ugly puce colour at Harry's hissed words. "How dare you speak to a Dominant-"

"Get him out!" He demanded, turning to the Elder next to him who looked equally as stunned. A pair of guards, who had already been making their way over, grabbed the offending dominant by his arms, and even as he struggled to escape their grip, they held on and dragged him out of the room. Harry let out a breath, head falling into his hands. He already felt exhausted, and that was only the first Dominant. The meeting had only lasted for a minute, for Merlin's sake! "This is a big mistake, I don't think I can do this."

His mum rubbed his back sympathetically, cheeks flushed with righteous anger. "He had no right to speak to you in such a way, the nasty, bigoted man!" His father puffed in agreement, hand moving away from where his want holder was situated. Harry sighed, rubbing his face with his hands.

"Can I have a minute before you send the next one in? I feel like I'm going to burst."

"Of course, Mr Potter. The meeting was supposed to be for ten minutes in total. You still have seven of them until the next one is scheduled." Elder Murr soothed, looking flushed. It hadn't escaped Harry's notice how the man had gotten to his feet, wings flaring menacingly at the Dominant, ready to place himself between them if the man had decided to lunge for him. He was lucky, he guessed, to have such a protective Fae for a chaperone.

The next few Dominants were the same as the first, equally as cocky, not allowing him to get a word in edgeways, more interested in bragging about their jobs and exploits than speaking to him about what he wanted in a mate. The worst, however, were the ones that seemed to believe him to be little more than a damsel in distress, needing 24/7 protection and only that.

"-Every submissive needs a Dominant to protect them, and what better than a descendant of the dragons themselves, eh? I think I could be that one, keeping you inside a cosy tower, far away from the dangers of the world." The pretentious man in front of him exclaimed, stretching his wings out in an attempt to woo him. Harry was not impressed in the slightest, both by his words and his actions.

"Oh, is that so? Well, it's lucky that there are many Dragonborn here then, seeing as I feel no attraction whatsoever to you."

"Huh?" He dumbly responded, eyebrows scrunching in confusion before his eyes widened in realisation. "What- You dare-!"

Harry raised his eyebrow at the guards, who both looked amused as they dragged another shouting dominant out of the meeting room. "Well, we finished rather early, eh?"

His mother sighed. "I agree that you should have sent them away, but you could have been the bigger person and punched him in the face instead, darling."

"Oh, I was contemplating it. Wasn't sure if I would get told off for it or not though." Harry looked at the chaperone questioningly.

"No, Mr Potter. A Submissive may protect themself and those they see as kin however they wish when issued with something that they deem as a threat or insult." Elder Murr wore a blank expression, although he was internally snickering at the conversation in front of him. Not many Submissives had the gall to outright express their desire to resort to violence, too indoctrinated into society's pre-determined characteristics of soft, motherly and gentle souls who could do no harm.

"Huh, nice." Harry grinned. "Time for lunch, I suppose, then back to this circus again."

The meetings after lunch were little better, although the dominants were less inclined to try and grab at him with the increased presence of guards around the room, a request from James. It was no longer a four-on-one meeting, more like an eight-on-one, but Harry didn't mind. As long as the dirty paws of the Dominants were kept off of him, he could relax in his seat and snark at them all he wished.

It was during the final few meetings of the day when he had reached all the way to the letter E, that Harry finally met a Dominant worth keeping in the room.

He was lither and shorter than many, although not the smallest he had come across, and respectfully greeted those in the room before taking a seat, crossing his legs a folding his hands in his lap. The image of a perfect gentleman, he could almost feel his mum vibrating with pleased surprise in the seat next to his.

His name was Emeric Edouard, pronounced Ehm-Reek he'd been informed, a magical lawyer from France, whose hobbies included writing books, stargazing and cooking. He was polite and respectful, on the younger end of the spectrum of those he had met before at twenty-eight years old, and was an Elf from notable lineage.

How could a man such as this one not have already been snatched up? It was kind of suspicious, but Harry didn't let his thoughts ruin the only actual conversation he'd been able to have with one of his prospects all day.

"You are top of your class in Magical Defence? Impressive, I myself enjoy the odd duel. Perhaps, we could give it a shot one day, yes?" The golden-haired man grinned up at him, eyes glinting jovially.

"Perhaps." Harry allowed himself to smile softly, thoroughly enjoying his time with Emeric. Out of the corner of his eye, he could see Elder Murr watching him with a pleased yet nervous expression, which he couldn't decipher what the emotion was for. There wasn't any danger, was there?

The meeting came to an end sooner than he would have liked, but he consoled himself with the knowledge that he could invite Emeric back for another, longer meeting as soon as he was finished meeting the rest. He had the man's name placed onto the list for future meetings, of which his was the first.

It was with a soft smile still on his face that he greeted the next Dominant, a carbon copy of the wonderful man who had just left the room, only with a prominent scowl in place of a sweet smile.

He gruffly introduced himself as Emile Edouard, Emeric's twin brother. And from there on, Harry could guess as to why Emeric was still unchosen, despite his perfectness.

Emile, unlike his brother, was brash and cold, merely grunting in response to his questions, sometimes not even bothering to do that. He snapped and snarled, releasing unattractive pheromones that clogged his nose and set him on edge. The guards around the room shifted anxiously, and Elder Murr was leaning forward, yet they did nothing to stop it as Harry had yet to express his displeasure. It was frustrating to tolerate his manners, but he didn't have to mate with this man, so he wasn't all too concerned with his behaviour. That was until he dropped the bombshell that destroyed Harry's hope of living a contented life with his more likeable twin.

Emile had grinned suddenly, an evil little thing that sent shivers down his spine. "As twins, if you mate one of us, you mate us both. You seem to like Emeric." He spoke in a heavily accented voice, obviously not enthusiastic to be speaking English even momentarily. Harry was shocked, he had not known such a thing. A glance towards Elder Murr confirmed that this was the truth, and Harry had Emile sent away shortly after as he once again placed his head into his hands.

Suffice to say, Harry felt no desire after that to pursue the twin he liked as he did not want to be stuck with such a grouchy man for the rest of his life, even if Emeric had been the only tolerable Dominant so far. And so, his name was struck from the list, not that it even was one yet.

He still had most of the alphabet left to go yet, so he wasn't too worried about finding the ones for him in the rabble.

6th August

The next day saw the beginning of the F's. Farrow, Ferguson, Frank, the list continued, and every single Dominant hadn't appealed to him in the slightest. His hope was fading fast, and he wondered if, perhaps, he was being too picky with his choices.

His father and mother quickly put those sorts of thoughts down, detailing to him all the reasons why he should be even pickier, as their 'darling boy deserved the very best of the best, and no less than that.' It was bad enough that throughout the meetings, they were whispering into his ears everything wrong that they observed about the current Dominant, how he was either too bossy, too rude, too meek or too boisterous, messing with his own thoughts.

It took until the H's until he stumbled across the next Dominant that caught his attention in a positive light.

Name: Anton Hartmann

Age: Twenty-two

Species: Veela

Nationality: German

Occupation: Apprentice Potioneer

He was young, the youngest that Harry had come across so far, which was a plus for Harry- he didn't quite know how to feel yet about the prospect of choosing someone over the age of thirty, let alone nearer to seventy-five. It also helped that he was extremely attractive with his deep blue eyes and dark brown hair, his Veela status obvious.

Anton was a bit cockier than he would usually like, but he made up for it with his hilarious personality, and in the ten minutes they spent together for the meeting, Harry had laughed more than he had in the last few days.

He was sure that this man was going to be his mate or at least one of them, urging Elder Murr to write down his interest for another meeting after Anton left. Elder Murr, with a conflicted expression, noted it down in the notebook he held. Harry barely repressed a sigh of annoyance, the man in front of him being at least five thousand years older than himself, so he deserved that much respect.

"What's wrong with my choice this time? Does he have a twin I'll be forced to mate with as well, one with a terrible personality?"

The man flushed a bit, having not meant to make his feelings outwardly noticeable. "No, not at all. It's just that, did you learn the lifespans of each creature race?"

"Yes, of course."

"Then you'll know that the lifespan of the Fae and Veela dramatically differ. Fae live for, on average, upwards of five thousand years, whilst the oldest Veela made it to only just over seven hundred years. Could you deal with losing a mate so early on?"

Harry opened his mouth and closed it just as quickly. Elder Murr had a point, despite how much he wished he didn't. He would potentially, almost certainly, outlive any Veela mates he took, any mates that were not from the Dragonborn, Fae, Vampire or Boread species in fact. Did that mean that he had to confine himself to only choosing from those select four, just so that he'd have mates that he could live with for his entire lifespan? In his mind, over seven hundred years seemed plenty enough time, but would that change in the future? Harry was conflicted but decided not to say anything, the Elder still studying him.

"Call the next one in."

The next Dominant barely lasted a couple of minutes under Harry's newly ruthless scrutinisation, thrown out for insinuating that he wouldn't allow him to get a job, as 'raising our children in more than enough to do.' He huffed as the man continued to yell about how great he was despite being dragged into the corridor, the door slamming shut and plunging the room into silence once more.

"Well, that one's another no." His dad commented, and Harry couldn't help but chuckle, crossing the man's information out.

It looked as though it was going to be another day of lacklustre success, with the remaining Dominants proving his point exactly as they, too, were thrown out of the room before their allotted time was up.

7th August

On the seventh of August, the meetings for those with surnames of K's to M's began.

It was the same again- Dominants too cocky for their own good, making demands of him with outdated views and opinions, only ending up kicked out of the room by a furious Harry and equally disapproving parents.

However, as the L's came to a near end, a Dominant that ticked all of his boxes came sauntering through the door.

Name: Elian -

Age: Twenty-Seven

Species: Fae

Nationality: Land of the Fair Folk

Occupation: -

He was an extremely pretty-looking man, comparable to the statues Harry had seen of the greek gods, lithe in stature with beautiful golden eyes that matched his blond hair perfectly. His wings were a similar bright gold, sharp yet dainty looking, and that feature caused a thought to rise in his mind, yet he couldn't quite grasp it. Where had he heard of golden wings like that before?

The more pressing matter, however, was the missing information from his sheet. "Why is it not showing his surname? Does he not have one?" Harry questioned Elder Murr under his breath, but Elian, with his soft, sophisticated voice, answered instead.

"Oh, I have one. But for mate meetings, I prefer not to use it. Family reasons." He smiled beautifully, perfect teeth gleaming. Harry was blinded by his attractiveness, spluttering internally about how to respond.

His lack of surname was strange, but tolerable due to how much he liked him. Well, liked his looks, more like. It was yet to be seen whether his personality would hold on to that. "Uh, okay." Harry managed to get out, much to his parent's amusement and Elder Murr's delight, who finally looked happy with his choice. Actually, he looked more than happy. He seemed only seconds away from falling to the floor on his knees, staring at Elian like he was some sort of demi-god.

Where had he heard about those golden wings from?

"So, um, Elian, you're occupation is also hidden. Is that also a family secret?" Stupid Harry, asking stupid questions. What if he wasn't employed and he'd just said something insensitive to insult this extremely attractive, seemingly physically perfect Dominant?

He giggled childishly, sounding years younger than what was written on his profile. Harry had to double-check that the information was still the same and that he hadn't misread it. Nope, still twenty-seven. He also looked younger than that, seeming closer to Harry in age than anyone else had. "Yep, they're kind of connected by association, so I don't want to reveal it either." Elian winked with a cheeky smile. "But, don't worry, I do have plenty of money."

"Oh, no, that's not an issue at all! I was just wondering, I have plenty to support myself."

Elian's head tilted to the side minutely, hair brushing his shoulders. "It's a source of pride for Dominants to be able to supply for their Submissives, even if there is no need to. It's perfectly understandable for you to want to know if any of us can support you and any children you have financially."

Harry had barely been allowing himself to think of future children at the moment, let alone the imminent arrival of his heat that would create those children in Merlin knows how much time. All he knew for sure was that he had already started his heat cycle, as of the moment he came into his inheritance. It could be mere days to years until his heat finally hit him, and the not knowing made him want to rush and find a mate as soon as possible. The non-creature side of him, however, wished to prolong that for as long as he could.

He simply hummed in response to Elian's words, trying to hide how uncomfortable the mention of having children was for him. He was only seventeen, for Merlin's sake! In no way was he ready for children, at least, not until after he had graduated from Hogwarts.

He could only hope that his heat cycle was kind to him, lasting for a while or so, or that he at least had a string of 'unfertile heats', as they were called.

In the meantime, however, he was happy enough to observe the scarce attractive Dominants who were vying for his attention, such as Elian in front of him.

"You are the first Fae that I have met in these meetings so far."

"Ah, that would be because I am one of the few under the age of seventy-five." He chuckled. "Some of my kin looked rather peeved that you had set such a restriction, but it's to my advantage, so I'm not complaining in the slightest."

Harry attempted to smile as normally as he could in response, but he just felt so out of wack that it came out more like a grimace. Did Fae have hypnotising powers or something? He wanted to ask, but the question died in his throat every time he opened his mouth. It ended with him making unintelligible noises that drew the attention of the room's occupants.

"Are you alright, Harry?" The Fae asked.

"Yep, all good!" He practically wheezed, slightly flushing as his mum snorted behind her hand. Elian smiled wider, smugly.

"Hm, if you say so. Anyway, you are a student at Hogwarts, yes? What Fae-related information is on the curriculum?"

"Um, none?"

His eyebrows scrunched. "Nothing?" Harry nodded. "So, how much knowledge do you have on Fae?"

"All that's in ' Magical Inheritances: An overview of this spectacular phenomenon .', and I've started to read another that's a bit more detailed."

The Fae raised his eyebrows. "That's it? Oh, no, that won't do! Not when you're a Fae yourself! Elder Murr, who was responsible for educating Harry about our world, and why have they not done it adequately?" He turned to the Elder, a scowl on his pretty face, making the more dangerous aspects of his features stand out starkly.

The Elder, surprisingly, bowed his head to the man. "Mr Potter only came into his inheritance on the thirty-first of July, his seventeenth birthday. His Consultant gave him books to read, and he has been making his way through them. I assure you, Mr Potter has the resources he needs."

Elian squinted his eyes at the Elder, before turning to Harry. "Ask me any questions you want, I'm quite well-versed in our species despite my age. Actually, it might be better, because I can give you more relevant insight into Fae of our age."

The pair of them talked for the remaining time, with Harry rapidly firing questions at the man. However, the time was not enough for him to be satisfied, and with a smile, Harry had Elian's name written on the list before he left.

"He was nice, I liked him."

James coughed into his fist. "I know, we could all tell." Elder Murr looked amused as he handed him the next Dominant's profile.

 Unfortunately, the next lot of Dominants ruined his happy mood with their attitudes, and Harry once again despised the meetings.

The door to the meeting room opened for the nth time that day, and Harry nearly sighed as he looked up when Elder Murr began to introduce them.

"Mr Potter, this is-"

That silvery-white hair was unmistakable, as were the grey eyes and trademark sly smirk that grew wider when Harry spoke over the introduction, as confident and cocky as ever. "...Draco? What-what are you doing here?" He stuttered out, getting to his feet in disbelief. Why was Draco here? It couldn't be-

The man, who looked as if he had grown even taller since they had last met, spread his arms theatrically, the golden wings behind him shifting with the movement. "To compete for the title of your mate, of course. Just as every other Dominant here is doing." Harry gaped at him, before lunging forward and into his arms. He could feel his eyes sting from the tears gathering in them, but didn't care to rub at them, too absorbed his hugging his best friend- the one he fell unconditionally in love with many years before.

He couldn't believe it, he'd barely been able to come to terms with the fact that he couldn't be with Draco, and now he was here, a Dominant Creature at his mate meeting! He voiced his thoughts, no matter how disjointed they came out. "Draco, Draco, I can't believe- I gave up the hope of ever being with you, and then you suddenly just pop up? How am I supposed to react-!"

He hushed him, smoothing a hand through his hair, grimacing as it got caught in the wild tresses. "Well, you could always choose me as your mate. I've liked you for a while now, Harry. I'm sorry that I started distancing myself, but, as you can see, I came into an inheritance. It crushed my hopes of being with you, as at the time, I thought that there was no way you could be a creature. When I heard that you were the Submissive whose meeting was to be held, I didn't believe it at first. But, here you are, a Fae of all things." He chuckled, clinging to him closer as Harry began to sob harder. He could hear his mum sniffling in the background, and his dad clearing his throat as he too tried to hold back his tears. Elder Murr sat on the sofa, staring at the pair of them clinging to each other with a knowing gaze.

"So, you have already chosen your first Dominant, Harry? Congratulations are in order." The man smiled softly at his tear-stricken face, and Harry couldn't help but smile happily as he clung tighter to Draco- his mate.

His first mate.

A small 'Thanks' was all he could manage to get out, too emotional for anything else. He had Draco- Draco who he had loved for years- and they were mates! It was such a shocking turn of events that he could barely wrap his head around it.

With Harry gaining a mate and needing time for their bond to settle, the remaining meetings for the day were cancelled, much to the disgruntlement of the waiting Dominants, but Harry couldn't find it inside himself to care. They settled inside of the rooms he had been given, his parents heading for another one to give them privacy, and sat on one of the sofas, simply clinging to each other as if the other would disappear if they were to let them go.

"Is this a dream?"

"It better not be one. I was dreading having to be with a Submissive eventually because they were not you, but your Potter luck seems to have brushed off on me. Now, I'm mates with my closest friend, who also happens to be the one who I love. If this is a dream, then it's the happiest one I've ever had."

Harry snorted, his mind slowly emerging from the euphoric haze that had been forced onto him due to their sudden bonding, and sat up a bit. "You're such a sap sometimes."

"Way to ruin the romantic moment, Harry." Draco snarked, his own eyes gaining more clarity as the moments passed. "I did not expect it to hit that hard, or so suddenly. You must really like me to snatch me up that quickly."

Harry sighed, relaxing deeper into the sofa as the haziness finally passed. "Hm, I suppose so." They continued to sit in silence as they had previously until a thought sparked to life in the back of his brain. "What creature are you, anyway? I interrupted Elder Murr before he could say, or before I read your file."

"A Boread- one of my ancestors was married to one a few hundred years back. It was surprising that I came into an inheritance with such diluted creature blood, but my dad was a carrier for it, so it was always a possibility." He explained, enjoying the way Harry's eyes widened slightly.

"A Boread?! Aren't you kind, like, really rare? I haven't met a Boread yet, and I'm sure most of the world's unmated male Dominants under seventy-five are in that hall!"

Draco looked undeniably smug. "I'm the youngest one, too. By a hundred or more years, so you won't be seeing any other but me." He practically preened as Harry continued to stare at him. "It's lucky that I mated to you as well, the other Boreads will be pleased."

"Hm, why?"

"Dominant Boreads take on the life span of their Submissive mate. The Fae don't have a definite life span, and that means that I'll live for as long as you do, which is good for my species. There aren't even a thousand Boreads left worldwide, because of the rare chances of a Boreads birth, and the Veela species spitefully mating with Boreads to lower our numbers after being given the fourth highest spot in the hierarchy."

"Ah, I remember reading about this- The Boreads were given fourth, but they gave it up to the Veela instead, so the Veela thought they were taking pity on them. Why did they do that?"

"I don't know, it's a sore subject for Boreads, and as I'm 'so young', they won't tell me much. I'm classed as an adult, aren't I?"

Harry burst into laughter at that. "I feel like we're both going to be told that for a very, very long time." Draco pulled a slight face, not used to the sound of such a long life span even after a month of learning about creatures in an in-depth way.

"Hmph."

Chapter Text

8th August 1997

The next morning, after staying the night with Draco at Potter Manor as they had many times before, the pair and Harry's parents flooed to the Council Halls at quarter to nine, disgruntled to be back. After realising that he still felt unsettled during the evening, Harry had to come to terms that Draco wasn't enough for his Fae side and that he needed at least another mate. Therefore, he had no choice but to go back again, much to the Elders' and Dominants' delight.

Harry hadn't wanted to go back so soon, even after acknowledging he needed another, but he was already on a tight schedule with the new school year dawning closer by the day. Soon, he'd have to start on the Summer work that he hadn't even begun to think about yet, which he knew his mum was going to scold him about.

Entering the room they had been given, he slumped onto the sofa, Draco sitting down much more elegantly. To give them space, James and Lily chose to sit on another sofa, with Elder Murr occupying an armchair. He cleared his throat to gain their attention.

"Mr Potter-"

"Harry."

"Harry, as you now have a mate joining you for your meetings, they will be occurring slightly differently. It will be all normal procedures, except Mr Malfoy will also be able to have a say. Not to worry, it is entirely your choice, and you will be able to overrule Mr Malfoy at any time-"

"There's no need for me to do that, I trust Draco's decisions. If he doesn't like a Dominant, then I surely won't. I don't want my mates to dislike each other."

"That is very mature of you, Harry." Elder Murr smiled proudly, and Draco nudged him gently in thanks. They were a lot more tactile than they had been before they were creatures and mated, but it felt natural, a progression that would have surely happened had neither of them been creatures.

Today, he was to be meeting those in the category of M to R, since he had walked out during the early M's when he had met Draco.

The first Dominant was a man named Ilya Mustovoy, who was nice enough to start. Then, Harry mentioned his love for quidditch and aspirations to potentially go professional, and he physically recoiled.

"Absolutely not! A Submissive should not put themselves in danger like that!"

Harry shut off almost immediately, scowling up at the man. "And why not?" The answer to this question would tell him all he needed to know.

"Because doing something such as quidditch-" The man said the word with disgust."-is not natural for Submissives. It contains too much danger. No, all a Submissive should do is care for the children they birth, and see to the needs of their Dominants such as myself-"

Draco suddenly shot forward and punched the man square in the face, sending him toppling off of the sofa, much to Harry's delight. "That is incredibly outdated and disgusting. Get out."

From his place on the floor, the man let out a groan, sneering up at Draco with blood dripping from his nose. "It is the Submissives choice-"

"My name is Harry, I am not merely a Submissive. Now, do as my mate says, and get out."

Ilya picked himself up from the floor, nose sluggishly bleeding, and sent the room's occupants a dark glare, before stomping out of the open doors.

"Why do they all act like that!? It's 1997, not 1907!" Harry ranted once he'd left, scowling. Lily looked as if she had swallowed a lemon, similar green eyes glaring daggers into the door that was closing.

"I don't know, sweetheart, but what I do know is that you won't be picking any of them."

The next Dominant was marginally better behaved, but he didn't call to Harry in any way. Then the one after him was utterly boring, to the point he cut the meeting short because he couldn't listen to his droning, superior voice any longer. The next one was immature beyond belief, the following too touchy to the point he had to be thrown out before Draco took his head off, and the successive one once again condescending and full of outdated beliefs. It was looking to be another day of little success until they hit the R's.

Name: Samuel Russell

Age: Thirty-six

Species: Dragonborn

Nationality: Irish

Occupation: Charms Tutor

He was perhaps the tallest man Harry had seen in the meetings so far, standing at around seven feet tall, his legs splaying awkwardly as he sat on the sofa. Samuel blushed red as he shuffled about to get comfortable, the colour clashing with his ginger hair, it showing up more prominently with his pale skin.

Draco snorted meanly under his breath, earning a whack to the side.

"Hello, I am Harry Potter, and this is my mate, Draco Malfoy." Harry smiled up at the man, who mumbled something unintelligible back, seeming to scrunch into himself under their assessing gazes. Harry bit his lip, unsure how to continue. Most of the previous Dominants had wanted to be constantly talking, seeming to be in love with their own voices, and even the ones who didn't speak seemed confident. This man was the complete opposite of them all, his personality seeming out of place compared to his size. "Um, so you're a Charms Tutor?" The man barely nodded. "That's...That's nice. Who do you teach? Younger or older students?" Samuel remained silent, curling up further. "Um..." He turned to Draco for help, eyes pleading.

His mate was staring at the man in front of them intently, eyebrow cocked up. A look at Elder Murr showed that he, too, didn't seem impressed, and neither did his parents. Harry cleared his throat.

"Well, I want to either become a Defense Professor or a Quidditch player when I graduate from Hogwarts. Do you enjoy teaching? It seems that it would be quite challenging having people relying on you for help like that."

The man's form loosened slightly, and he wrung his hands in his lap. "Y-Yes, it-it is. Challenging, I-I mean. But-But it's rewarding-" Samuel's eyes met his own, full of passion. "-to see people achieve what you've taught them is amazing!"

Harry grinned. "Really?"

Once they got going, Harry and Samuel had what was his best meeting of the day, in which the Tutor talked to him about the Pros and the Cons of teaching. He ended up being the only name added to the list that day.

9th August 1997

The ninth of August marked his last day of ten-minute meetings, with the surnames beginning in S to Z. By this point, Harry was tired of the repetitive meetings, with only the odd actual decent person. How so many of them were like this, he didn't know. Asking Elder Murr for an answer gave him one that wasn't satisfactory.

The old man had sighed, looking worn down. "Children are a blessed existence to Creatures, even to the species who don't exactly aim to have any. However, the low birth rate of creature children, even in all creature mateships, means that the parents more often than not outlive the majority of their children, with only their few creature children left by the end. So, those children are heavily doted upon. And the Dominants who are gathered here are most likely to be the youngest current creature child, or children, of those very doting parents. My apologies, Harry, but it is simply the way those Dominants have been raised that makes them act in such a manner. I wish that this wasn't the case."

Knowing that didn't make the search for his next Dominant sound that appealing, not that it had in the beginning. He was still rather sure that he wanted Draco, and only him.

There were a few on the last day that were friendly, or at least tolerable enough, to be placed on his list, which only held three names at the beginning, and had seven at the end.

The first of these was a man named Mikelis Sobel, a forty-three-year-old Ministry Employee. Now, his age had put Harry off at first, but when the man walked in looking no older than his early twenties, Harry was confused. Actually, most, if not all, had appeared younger than he was expecting. He questioned Elder Murr, who told him that as they live such long life spans, they age very slowly in their adult years. In fact, some of the dominants were actually using spells to appear more mature.

So, Harry decided that Mikelis was a viable option for a mate, his wonderful personality ensuring his spot on the slowly growing list of candidates. Despite, of course, the disapproval from his parents, who were both younger than the man by several years.

The next who caught his eye in a positive light was an Elf named Aurelio Valento, who was a human-born like himself, from Greece. He was twenty-five, having only come into his inheritance eight years before, and they bonded about the sudden changes in their lives, despite the hindrance of a language barrier.

Another who Harry liked was Callum Williams, who had walked into the room and started conversing with his mum about healing and potions instead of the mate meeting! The man had apologised profusely when his brain caught up, having just been so excited about meeting his idol that he'd forgotten what he was there for. Harry had been so endeared with his hero worship of his mum, that he'd had him placed on the list.

One of the last Dominants to walk in was Blaise Zabini, one of Draco's close friends, and a neutral acquaintance of Harry. He felt Draco sit up straighter and spread his wings slightly as he had done for the rest of them, sizing them up as well as threatening them away from his mate. Harry found it endearing, although annoying as the wing brushed against his side insistently. He batted it away with his hand as the wind accumulated stirred at the papers in his hands.

Name: Blaise Zabini

Age: 17

Species: Dragonborn

Nationality: Italian-English

Occupation: Student of Hogwarts

So far, the Dragonborn had been the least agreeable species of the lot, their explosive tempers, headstrong natures and staunch feelings of superiority clashing horrifically with his own stubborn personality.

Blaise, unlike the majority, made his way calmly to the opposite sofa without a reaction to Draco's threatening display, seating himself with a blank expression.

Elder Murr introduced him. "Harry, this is Blaise Zabini, a Dragonborn. Although, I suppose you already know who he is, seeing as you are in the same school year." Harry nodded, still reading the rest of the information available on the file. It was a brief overview, with things such as wingspan, height, family relations and the such, nothing he was too interested in. He'd rather form his own opinion of the boy in front of him.

"Blaise, It's nice to see you again. I didn't know you were a Creature."

"I did." Draco butted in. "Smug bastard pranced around with the news for weeks after his birthday. Blaise's family is very creature-heavy, with quite a bit of diversity." He informed Harry.

"And I had no idea that you were one, Draco. Forgetting to tell your best friend? Shame on you, where's your loyalty?" His voice seemed deeper than it had been the last time they had spoken, surprising Harry into straightening up. It was... nice to listen to.

Draco sneered in response. "I was busy, too busy to inform you when you would have found out soon enough anyway."

Blaise looked ruffled and annoyed, shifting his shoulders back. "Anyway, Harry, likewise. Especially under such circumstances." The boy shot him a charming grin, purple eyes twinkling. "It's a shame that Draco got to you first, although not surprising. You two have really been dancing around each other for years now." He added with a laugh, which revealed the slight points of his sharp canines.

"We were not 'dancing around each other'!" Draco retorted, looking affronted and slightly flushed.

Blaise tutted, looking unapologetic. "Ah, of course, you weren't, of course, you weren't, my bad."

Whilst Blaise was nice enough, unlike most of the Dominants Harry had been around since he'd come into his creature inheritance, with a funny personality and charmingly good looks- his dark skin and bright, purple eyes contrasting startlingly, he just didn't capture his immediate attention. Not whilst he was still so amazed that he was in a relationship with Draco, anyway. Maybe, when their bond had settled, he'd feel differently. Still, Harry had his name placed on the list, the seventh.

The final meeting came to an end just after four pm, and it had no more success than the ones before it. And, he still had to meet with the ones who had arrived during the meetings tomorrow, who had been pushed to the back of the list.

With a couple of extra hours to bond with his mate, however, Harry was happy enough. They retreated to Potter Manor to relax before dinner, just sitting in one another's presence, absorbed with books about Creatures, soaking in the comforting feelings that pinged through their bond.

10th August 1997

It was his grandfather, Fleamont's, ninety-second birthday today, and yet he was stuck in the council halls to meet with the Dominants who had arrived after his first ones began. Therefore, he would be the first to admit that he wasn't in the best of moods. Which resulted in his selections being harsher than usual.

Although, by some divine intervention, most of the Dominants this time around had much more agreeable personalities. Elder Murr informed him that it was probably because these were the Dominants who had waited for information about him before deciding to come, meaning they were here for him, not only because he was a Submissive.

Harry was flattered, really, but that didn't mean that it made up for him missing a portion of his grandad's birthday party.

So far, Harry had added a further three names to the list. Idrissa Aukes, twenty-one and a Dragonborn, Marius Pereira, thirty-eight and a Veela, and Aldo Delaney, twenty-four and another Dragonborn. Each was a lovely man who had, unlike others beforehand, brought along gifts with them, 'small tokens of their affection', as they coined them. The first was a cloak made of soft silk, black in colour with little red details that he loved, but it ended up in the back of his wardrobe nonetheless. The next was a big, and by that Harry means absolutely ginormous, box of sweets and chocolate from Honeydukes that he'd tucked into right away. He still had made barely a dent despite gorging on them in the later meetings. And the last was a dainty necklace with a pretty, sparkling ruby, a small lion etched onto its surface. Harry was touched by the thought put into it, handing it to his mum for safekeeping. Draco looked mutinous but said nothing due to the smile it had brought to his face.

It was nearing the end of the meetings when in walked an intimidating, but absolutely gorgeous man, dressed in a luxurious black robe with silver accents, eyes a startling, bloody red. A Vampire.

He stared down at Harry, one perfect eyebrow slightly raised and a smirk tugging at the corner of his lips. Beside him, Draco went rigid, wings tucking in slightly as opposed to his usual theatrics.

With a smile, Elder Murr seemed excited to introduce them. "Harry, this is Thomas Slytherin, a Vampire."

Everyone had heard of The Thomas Slytherin. He was a man of considerable influence, situated on the grey side, although firmly leaning towards more Dark opinions. Most thought that he was the most likely candidate for the next Minister of Magic if he deigned to run for the position.

His father was usually against the man in the Wizengamot, as they very rarely saw eye to eye and voted for the same policies. What he had forgotten to mention to Harry, however, was how his photos did him no justice whatsoever. That man was Drop. Dead. Gorgeous.

Harry snuck a glance towards James, who seemed frozen as he stared at the Vampire in front of them, brown eyes burning like molten chocolate. Lily looked a little more welcoming, although still uncomfortable in his presence. Either, it was the man himself, or his status as a Vampire, the first one he had met so far, that was setting the pair so on edge.

Elder Murr, on the other hand, looked delighted with the man's presence, shooting Harry looks of encouragement as he handed him his file, thicker than most.

Name: Thomas Slytherin

Age: Seventy

Species: Vampire

Nationality: English

Occupation: Politician, Lord of Slytherin

"It's... lovely to meet you, Mr Slytherin?" It came out as more of a question, but the man didn't seem to mind as he flashed him a perfect smile, pointed fangs gleaming.

He sat down, robes settling around him, swinging a leg over the other. "The pleasure is all mine, Mr Potter. How are you faring today?"

"Um...Good?"

"Wonderful." He smiled again, before turning to Draco. "And how are you, Draco? It's been a little while since I last saw you, although, from what I've heard from your father, he's been running you ragged."

"I'm well, Lord Slytherin." Draco nodded his head stiffly, and Harry took note of the slight fear, but whole-hearted respect that seemed to radiate off of his mate in the presence of this man. If his mate was scared, then could Mr Slytherin really be a possible mate for them?

"And you, Lord Potter, Lady Potter, Elder Murr?"

James simply nodded his head, swallowing heavily. Lily smiled warily, responding with hesitance, whilst Elder Murr was all smiles and indulgence, reminding Harry of Slughorn.

"I am well, Thomas! And how are you too? Have you been busy in the Wizarding Realm?"

"Very, I have had much to do these past few months, although I am happy to say that my workload has lowered significantly recently." He smiled, turning back to Harry. "And just in time, as I had heard that there was an interesting Submissive searching for mates. Harry Potter, I have heard much about you."

"And I have learnt about you a lot as well."

"Oh?" He tilted his head, an intense gleam entering his eyes.

"Yes, since my dad works with you."

He seemed... disappointed. "Ah, yes, of course. I hope that just because me and your father don't see eye to eye most times, doesn't mean that I am out of the running. Am I?"

"...Not at the moment, Lord Slytherin."

"Thomas, please." He smiled sweetly, but Harry felt as if his every inner thought was being read and analyzed.

"Thomas."

The rest of their meeting continued with this slightly stilted note, the man off-putting, but at the same time, his entire being just screamed to Harry, the attraction he felt towards the man clear, but not reasonable in the slightest. Both Draco and his parents were filled with confusion when his name was placed on the list.

11th August 1997

The eleventh of August signalled the changing of pace in his meetings, and rather than having to meet everyone, he instead met with those who had been noted down on his list. That meant he was finally in the presence of tolerable Dominants, although the meetings ran for half an hour instead, meaning he had more time to get to know them, and more time to dislike them.

In total, there were eleven to meet, starting off with Idrissa Aukes, whose increased cockiness from being chosen got him removed before allotted the half an hour was up. This, to Harry, spelt disaster for the rest of the day.

However, in his next meeting, Aldo Delaney was much sweeter, and they talked to one another about their mutual hobby of quidditch for most of the time, which Harry enjoyed greatly. It turned out that Aldo was thinking of applying to a professional team in the coming weeks, having spent a decade playing with his neighbourhood team already. However, he was tight-lipped as to which team, even with Harry's pleading, and left without revealing it with a secretive smile on his face.

In his next meeting with Anton Hartmann, he could see his mum's ever-increasing uncomfortableness in the face of his increasingly dirty jokes, so with laughter in his voice, he asked for the meeting to be cut short, but not for the man to be taken off of the list.

He met with Elian when his mother's ruffled feathers were soothed, the Witch always having disliked more vulgar talks, and the Fae managed to charm the socks off of her with his sweet disposition and dashingly angelic looks. Even Draco looked more relaxed around other Fae, although he later confided in Harry that it was because the other man seemed to hold the countenance of a Submissive rather than a Dominant, and therefore didn't register as as much of a threat. At that, Harry had to laugh, because, to him, Elian seemed to be one of the strongest Dominants he had met yet.

Marius Pereira and he discussed duels and it was a very interesting conversation, although, once the man had left, Harry had to admit to himself that the man didn't register with him as a potential mate.

Samuel Russell turned out to be another, unfortunate dud. The man just didn't appeal to his Creature instincts whatsoever, even after his muddled instincts from Draco had disappeared and left him with a clear mind. Harry had really liked Samuel, although he could admit to himself that he honestly wasn't that attracted to the man in the first place, he was just the only nice person of that day.

Thomas Slytherin was next, and the man still looked as impeccable as ever, this time offering him a rune stone imbued with his magic- 'for his protection'. It felt powerful, and Harry could feel the magic soaking it despite not having an affinity for sensing like that, gaping at the man who watched his examination of the stone with rapt attention, red eyes gleaming. Their meeting this time was much more pleasant, with Harry having spoken to his parents and mate beforehand, expressing that he had a liking towards the man and that he'd appreciate it if they didn't make things awkward again. Luckily, they didn't, and Thomas ended up staying on his list.

Mikelis Sobel ended up staying on the list, his personality not having taken a sudden U-turn, but Harry did take off Aurelio Valenta and Callum Williams. Aurelio because, apart from coming from a similar background, they shared almost nothing in common, and Harry didn't think he could deal with someone who thought that Quidditch was a 'waste of time' for thousands of years whilst he wanted to play it. And Callum because, really, he was only interested in Harry's mum, and they barely shared more than a few sentences together during the meeting.

Blaise Zabini was the final Dominant on his list, and he swaggered into the room, purple eyes gleaming. "Hello, how are you all today?" Harry smiled at his confidence and Draco's overdramatic sigh at his side.

"Hello, Blaise. Fine, how are you?"

He grinned, plopping himself down on the sofa casually. "Positively thrilled that you found me attractive enough to call me back. Mother is also pleased."

"You're mother is pleased that you're possibly going to leave her nest so soon?" Draco said it with a slightly mocking tone, but Blaise nodded seriously in response.

"Yes, in fact, she is rather proud that I am gaining interest so early on. Thank you for that, Harry."

"No problem, I think?"

Blaise seemed much more knowledgeable about Creatures than both he and Draco combined, Draco's tidbit that his family was very 'Creature-heavy' coming to mind. He was happy to share that knowledge with both of them, and that's how the narrative of their meeting progressed until its end. Blaise's name, obviously, stayed on Harry's list.

Finishing a couple of hours earlier than usual, Harry was invited by Draco and his parents for dinner at Malfoy Manor, to celebrate their bonding. He had yet to see the elder Malfoy's since before his birthday and therefore was a little anxious, not knowing what to expect of them, whether it be due to his inheritance or mating with their one and only child.

They flooed to the Manor, Draco holding tightly onto his arm as he tumbled through and nearly face-planted the ground. The Malfoy couple were waiting there to welcome them, Lucius looking stiff as he greeted him, and even Narcissa looked marginally uncomfortable. He sent Draco a questioning look, who pulled a face in response.

He'd explain it later, then.

"Hello, Harry, Darling. It's so good to see you, especially under such circumstances." Narcissa was the first to step forward, grabbing hold of his hand as softly as ever, and leading him into the dining room. She sat him in his usual seat, hand lingering on his shoulder for a few seconds longer, before rounding the table and sitting in the chair her husband had pulled out for her.

Harry cleared his throat. "It's nice to see you both, too."

Lucius was staring at him intently, cocking his head to the side, long, white hair slipping over one shoulder. Harry shifted uncomfortably, and they stayed in this awkward silence until a House Elf popped into the room, announcing the start of dinner.

Dinner began with the first course and spanned for three more until pudding was served. Having dined many times with the Malfoys over the years, Harry knew exactly which cutlery he needed to use, although he still didn't quite understand why it was such a  need . Still, he had a nice enough time, bar the awkwardness that hadn't been there before, and soon, it was over, and he and Draco could retreat to his room so that Harry could interrogate him.

"Why are your parents treating me as if I am an imposter? I thought we were close? Do they not like me anymore?"

"They... they still like you, Harry, it's just... they hadn't expected that I'd mate with a male Submissive." He admitted, before swiftly spluttering out. "Not that they have anything against gay people! It's just, that they both have always had a vision, and it's going to take them a few days to adjust that. They still love you, Harry, more now so that you are a part of our family, they're just processing the unexpected outcome."

Harry could relax after that, glad that he hadn't alienated himself from the elder Malfoy's by mating with their son. He understood their reasoning, he was sure that it was also taking his parents a little while to accept that he and Draco were together and that soon they'd have another mate or even more after that.

Which was a dreaded thought, honestly. Harry didn't know how he'd cope if he needed another after this one.

12th August 1997

After having nearly halved the number of Dominants the previous day, Harry meets with the six Dominants left in the running.

Aldo still didn't tell him which team he was trying out for, telling him that he'd either see his name on the team's roster, or he wouldn't. Anton, unfortunately, hit Harry's limit with his jokes, and after a rather distasteful one, his name was swiftly struck off of the list.

In his next meeting with Elian, they had been trading questions with one another again, when Elian smiled, a charming thing that melted Harry inside. "Would you like to take a walk in the woods? Nature is very calming for us Fae, so thinking of questions to ask should be easier for you."

It came as a surprise to Harry that he was allowed outside with the Dominants- with an Elder supervising, of course. Elder Sampson was standing a respectful fifteen metres behind them, not close enough to disturb their bonding, but close enough that she could step in if needed.

However, Elian was the perfect gentleman, only occasionally brushing their hands together, and smiling sweetly, a slight blush high upon his cheeks when he did so. Merlin, how was someone created this perfect?

His name remained on the list.

Tom, on the other hand, was a rather serious man, and Harry felt sometimes that he was treating their meetings as if it was a business transaction. It bothered him, honestly, but not enough to rule him out. The wilder part of him, the part that felt feral and totally creature was screaming at him that the man was a perfect mate, and who was he to deny such strong instincts? It was a bonus that the man was also one of the singularly most handsome people Harry had ever met.

They ended up on the topic of spell creation, something that Harry didn't know a lot about, but interested him greatly. Tom, however, seemed to be an expert in the field, an eager gleam in his eye as he broke down the components of a spell he was working on. It was fascinating to watch the man so enraptured by something, waving his hands about in gestures, seemingly genuine in his love of the field. His name also remained on the list.

Mikelis' name also remained the man's personality just so inviting that Harry couldn't let him go. He admitted, inwardly, that the man just didn't feel right for him, but their conversations were just so interesting that he couldn't let him go.

The final Dominant Harry met again that day was Blaise, who now that he is more settled with Draco, was starting to seem more appealing to his Creature instincts. The boy felt powerful, just as Draco had and still did, and as much as he'd like to deny it, it is one of the reasons why Harry ultimately decided to choose him.

He waited until the end of the meeting, the man about to leave through the double doors when Harry announced his choice bluntly, much to the surprise of the room's occupants. "Blaise, I would like for you to be my next mate. Do you accept?" The man turns, slackjawed before a jaw-splitting smile stretched his face.

Blaise was happier than Harry has ever seen him before, grinning widely as he flung himself into his arms, causing them to fall to the floor in a heap. Draco cackled above them, probably at the sight of him being squashed, but Harry felt too floaty to care.

Stupid mating daze.

They ended up heading back to Harry's for the night, simply asking one another all the questions that popped into their head at the time, as he had with Draco and found that his bed was much too cramped for their trio to fit upon. Even with transfiguration, it wasn't a long-term resort, but it did for the night.

Merlin knows how big of a bed they were going to need if Harry had to choose yet another Dominant.

Extra Scene- 9th August- Thomas Slytherin's POV

Tom hummed as listened halfheartedly to the blathering man by his side, who was becoming rather red in the face as he continued to rant, the lack of air making his chest heave violently. "-know no better, the stupid, little brat, how dare he?! I am in my prime, and I have thousands of fertile years left in me, if Submissives just weren't so picky with age, I'd have a mate by now! Why are they the only ones that get to decide, whilst we Dominants have to try our hardest to be appealing, and all they need be is a Submissive!"

He sighed as the man continued, swirling the cold blood in his wine glass, staring down at it with distaste. He'd had enough of the man. "That's enough, Arnold. I grow tired of listening to your ranting over a Submissive."

"My apologies, My Lord! I didn't mean- I forgot who I was speaking with! Please, forgive me!"

The man simply hummed, not even turning fully to consult the grovelling wretch. "You forgot who you were speaking to? Shame on you, Arnold, how dare you?" His voice was lighthearted but carried a heavy undertone as it rang through the hall, the Vampire's eyes gleaming a bloody red. The man continued to splutter out apologies until he held his hand up. "No, no, don't tell me about you. I am rather interested in the Submissive. Who did you say it was, again? Who is it, that dot you  so  riled up?"

Arnold gulped, staring up at him with widened eyes, full of a want to please him. "Ha-Harry Potter, My-My Lord."

"Harry Potter, as in the heir to both the houses of Potter and Black?" Tom tilted his head consideringly.

"Yes, My Lord, the-the very same."

"Interesting, I might just have to go and see if the information you can give me about him is sufficient."

Arnold took this as the time to make his way back into his good books, blurting out whatever facts came to mind about the newly presented creature but, unfortunately for the man, nothing was ever enough for Thomas Slytherin. "He's-He's very pretty, from the little I saw of him- he set a limit of seventy-five years for his meetings- and-and seemed to be quite shy. I heard from others that he has the most striking green eyes- he's a Fae, descended from the Sermoira family most suspect. He currently attends Hogwarts, going into his seventh year, and I believe that he's a Gryffindor? And, um..." Tom raised his eyebrows, as the man scrabbled for more to say. "Umm..."

He tutted, finishing off the blood in his glass with a gulp. "Well, I suppose I'll just have to go and see for myself. As I am in the appropriate age range, after all. The Submissive's personal choice." With one last smirk, Tom disappeared, heading for the In-Between Realm to join the Submissive's meeting.

Chapter Text

13th August 1997

Harry woke the next morning feeling calm, safe and relaxed, snuggled cosily between both of his mates, whose soft breathing he could hear comfortingly from nearby. The Fae stayed there, contentedly basking in their combined warmth, only the dimmest light beyond his eyelids controlling him from succumbing to his body's urge to continue sleeping. His eyes didn't begin to crack open until minutes after he first gained consciousness, and when they did so, it was slowly and with great reluctance. Harry felt content in his own mind for the first time since his inheritance two weeks ago, that insistent itch in the back of his brain finally having settled down.

He turned his head to stare sleepily at his newest mate, Blaise, with interest. The boy looked equally as gorgeous asleep as he did awake, softer, however, as he was missing the cocky smirk that seemed permanently on his face, and his sharp, purple eyes that usually drew all of his attention were currently closed. Harry could just about make out the slightest smattering of purple and black scales around the edges of his eyes, making them look more full as if he was wearing subtle eyeliner or eyeshadow. He smiled, shifting his head the opposite way.

On his other side slept Draco- flat on his back, the heathen- looking angelic in the early morning sunlight that crept through the curtains, highlighting the golden strands in his white-blond hair and the paleness of his skin. He seemed to be stirring, shifting slightly towards Harry in his light sleep, snuffling slightly into his neck, his eyelids fluttering and cracking open slightly to reveal the slightest sliver of silver. Harry smiled warmly.

"Good morning." He whispered barely audibly, his voice croaky with sleep.

Draco's eyes shut once more, and he sleepily hummed, turning onto his side to squish their bodies closer together. "G'morning." He mumbled back, slurred with sleep. To his other side, Blaise huffed, drawing his attention once more.

Without opening his eyes, he swung suddenly out of the bed, dragging the covers with him, much to the startled, voiced annoyance of both Harry and Draco. Tiredly, he stumbled his way into the en-suite bathroom, slamming the door behind him and leaving the pair to shiver in the morning air.

Draco groaned, sitting up with a scowl. "Bastard." He looked ruffled, hair sticking up at the back, but Harry knew that his own was probably ten times worse. He sighed, sitting on the edge of the bed, blinking rapidly to wake up faster, casting a  Tempus  with a groan. Turning back impatiently when Harry made no move to get up, he huffed again. "Harry, it's already nearing eleven, you need to get up."

He grumbled back, turning to plonk his face in the pillow instead.

"Harry, up. We've got to go eat breakfast- or lunch. I'm surprised no one woke us up beforehand."

"Parents are used to it. We aren't mornin' people." With a put-on sigh, Harry pushed himself up on weak arms, turning, licking dry lips with disgust. "Ugh, need water." Groping in the direction of his side table, he swiped the convenient glass there and took several, desperate gulps of water. 

During this, Draco had wandered off to his bag, dressing in dark robes.

"Not going to shower?"

"I had one last night after you fell asleep. You should have one, though, after Blaise relinquishes the bathroom."

As if summoned, the bathroom door opened, bellowing out steam, and a refreshed-looking, damp Blaise stepped out, only a towel wrapped around his waist. "Morning." He smiled, it turning wicked as he noticed their dual stares fixated on his body. "Like what you see?"

"Yeah," Harry admitted honestly, Draco humming in agreement. "Anyway, I'll hop in the shower for a few minutes, we should make it down for lunch."

Although he had woken up this morning thinking that he only needed the two mates, as the day carried on, that itching came back in trickles, building and building until he knew that he had no choice but to contact the Council that the meetings needed to resume after all.

They were, once again, overjoyed, much to Harry's displeasure, and he made it known by cutting off the floo call soon after- running back to the sofa to snuggle between his two mates in a mutual sulking huddle.

14th August 1997

The meetings resumed the next day, although Harry only actually had four Dominants still on his list, quite little at this point, Elder Murr had commented, looking slightly worried. Harry waved off his attempts to persuade him to choose more from those he found tolerable previously, steadfast in his decision. Hopefully, this would be his last mate to choose. Three was more than enough.

He met with Aldo first, the pair of them heading straight into talk about quidditch, much to the amusement and exasperation of those in the room. They talked as if they were old friends, joking with each other, the man still not revealing his team. Harry was running out of guesses, not that he was disclosing whether the guess was correct or not anyway. In all, Harry didn't see his as a mate for certain, more of a friendly figure that he could fanboy with about his interests.

Elian was as bubbly and energetic as the past times he had met the man, only just stopping himself short from wrapping his arms around him in a hug, pulling back at the last second to simply shake his hand, a mischievous smile on his face that suited the Fae horribly well. Beside him, his mates scowled, Draco almost pushing entirely between the two of them to keep the other man away from him, which only further drew out that smile of his.

"Hello, Harry! Draco, Blaise." He nodded at the pair. "How are you all today?"

Harry smiled, his energy infectious. "Fine, and you?"

"Great! I get to spend time with you!" He chuckled at Harry's blush. "And your mates, of course." Blaise snarled under his breath slightly, and Draco's unamused raise of an eyebrow said enough. "So, what do you want me to tell you today?"

"Could you tell me about the gatherings that are held? They seem quite interesting, and Draco wants to know too." They sat down on the sofas, Draco leaning forward with polite eagerness.

"Which one should I start with? Hmm, perhaps the one that's coming up the soonest. Well, the soonest formal meeting held here in the Council Halls is actually the Main Meeting, held every two years in early July. It's open to all creatures and it will be held next year. The next is the Dragonborn Gathering in October of the same year, and only Dragonborns, their mates and a permitted amount of children are permitted to attend. I think it's about two children per mate allowed. It's about the same for most of the meetings. It's an event that happens once every five years. Then, in June 2000, the Boread meeting is held, which I don't know much about due to how private it is. There are not many Boreads in the world, after all, but I do know it's also held every five years. The Veela gathering is next held in November 2001 and is also on a five-year schedule, although it's doubtful that you'll need to know more than that since only Veela are invited, not even their mates. The Fae meeting is in August 2002, every seven years, and I know that the limit for children is three per mate. Then, finally, there's the Vampire meeting, held every ten years, and the next one is in December 2005. That's a brief overview of them."

"Wow, there's quite a lot of them! Is it compulsory to attend them?"

"They are used as a place for the Council to check that mateships are well and the people within them aren't unhappy, but they aren't compulsory. These are only the gatherings held by the Council though, there are plenty more private ones over the world that you may find yourself invited to."

"Are they formal gatherings, or rather informal?" Draco asked him, his arms folded.

Elian raised a hand to ruffle his hair. "It depends on which hall you stay in. The main hall is informal, mainly filled with families, and has a big play area for the children, whilst the side halls are more for those who are single and those who have no children. It's hard to explain since I've never been to one myself, but I've heard that there's a place for everyone in there."

They sounded interesting, but Harry didn't know how comfortable he'd feel attending. Creatures from all over the world would be in attendance, meaning perhaps thousands would be there. At least there was nearly a year until the next one.

Thomas, polite as ever, walked into the room with a bouquet of flowers, which turned out to be several as he passed one to his mum, one to himself, and another to both Draco and Blaise. His dad, instead of receiving a bouquet of flowers, was handed a leather notebook instead.

Blaise snorted by his side, handing off the flowers to Harry, sitting back with folded arms. Draco kept a hold of his own, although he looked a bit jealous of his dad's notebook. Clearly, he would have preferred to have received that instead.

Thomas took note of their varying expressions and smiled. "If I have another meeting with Harry, I will be sure to bring along something more to your tastes, yes? You do not like flowers, Mr Zabini?"

"Call me Blaise, and, not really. One of Mum's boyfriends had an obsession with them, and the manor stunk like them for a couple of years, I've never been able to like them since."

"Then, you would prefer a notebook?" He received a nod. "And you, Draco?"

"The flowers don't bother me, mother will like them and appreciate the thought. Thanks."

"Ah, yeah, thanks." Harry hurriedly tacked on, having forgotten earlier even as his mum had voiced her thanks.

"It is no problem. Now, what would you like to know about me so that we can get to know each other better? I'm afraid my job is terribly boring, so I suppose you don't want to hear-"

"No, no, It's interesting! You're a Lord, me, Draco and Blaise will be Lords of our own houses one day, it's a topic I'd appreciate you talking about."

Thomas looked gleeful to explain the intricacies of the Wizengamot, adding in cheeky quips here and there about certain members that even got James to snort where he was sitting in the armchair next to the sofa.

Mikelis was the final prospective mate he met, the man polite and respectful as ever, although now that he was looking closer at their interactions, he could tell that they just didn't mesh in a romantic way. However, the man was interesting and was fast becoming a friend of his despite their age gap (not that that would matter in the long run), so Harry didn't have the urge to take him off of the list.

16th August 1997

The meetings the next day had gone similarly, and today, after three more meetings with his prospective mates, Harry felt as though he had made his decision. He had the man who he'd had his eye on called in for a meeting after they were done for the day, him looking confused as well as frightened.

"Is there something the matter, Harry? I apologise if I've offended either your, your mates or your family today." The man looked heartfelt and downtrodden, shoulders drooped as if he expected to be lashed out at.

Instead, Harry took a step forward, a happy yet worried smile on his face. "Nothing is the matter, I had you called back because I wanted to ask you something." He drew in a deep breath, steeling himself. "Would you be my mate, Elian?"

The fae in front of him blinked, golden lashes fluttering in surprise. "Of-of course!" He stuttered, jerking forwards awkwardly, not knowing exactly how to react.

Harry reached out and wrapped his arms around him, the daze settling on his shoulders heavily as he clung to the equally clingy man draped over his shoulder. He was shaking slightly, whether from the overwhelming sensation of being mated, or because of how emotional he was feeling, and stayed in that position until it had stopped. They separated hesitantly, Harry looking back to make eye contact with his two other mates, who looked a little dazed themselves.

"Congratulations on your third mate, Harry." Elder Murr softly drew his attention, and he smiled.

"Yes, and hopefully the last." Somehow, Harry knew in the back of his mind that those words weren't going to come true, and he couldn't find himself to be disappointed with that fact.

There was someone else he liked, after all, despite the slight push they needed before he'd consider them mate material.

17th August 1997

With only three left in the running, Elder Murr asked him if he wished to only meet one of them a day instead of all three, but spend that whole day with each of them. Harry agreed enthusiastically as it would mean he'd have more time to sus out their personality.

Aldo was the first, and they spent the whole day together, flying around the Council halls quidditch pitch (used for the tournaments Creature society held every ten years), and generally solidifying their friendship. They both knew that they weren't compatible that way and Harry found himself relieved that his choice was just that bit easier now.

It felt freeing to fly around the pitch without having any expectations placed on either of them, his mates having been settled by confirmation that neither of them thought of the other as a prospective mate, so they pushed and shoved each other without a care in their race for the Snitch.

Harry hoped that they could do the same thing somewhen in the future.

18th August 1997

He met with Tom on the 18th, the man having completed his promise and brung an expensive-looking notebook for Blaise, more flowers for Draco, Harry and Lily, and a book for James. He also handed him and Draco a book each, specialised on Vampires.

"I know that Blaise has Vampires in his family, and so he has access to this information already from a first-person point of view, so I thought I'd help you out on getting your collections started." He had grinned then, fangs slightly peeking out from under his lips, and Harry knew that he had made his choice.

19th August 1997

Mikelis and Harry met up in the gardens of the halls on the 19th, the man carrying with him a small basket filled with food. He explained, once they started walking, that he had a picnic planned.

They enjoyed it in a sunny clearing next to a pristine white fountain, his now three mates watching from the sidelines instead of getting involved. Whilst taking the last few bites from his sandwich, Mikelis admits to him that he knows he has no chance. He shrugs when Harry makes a noise, turning his head away. "I can see it, clear as day. You like the Vampire. He is a good choice, Vampires are strong, and he is clearly from a good bloodline. You have chosen your mates well, Harry Potter."

He left it at that, ignoring Harry's splutters with a small smile as they headed towards the halls once more.

20th August 1997

Harry woke up on the morning of the 20th panicky, but firm in his decision. He had already informed the Elders of what he was going to do today, and they had prepared accordingly, inviting the man to the halls once more for their final meeting.

It was as Thomas walked in, as composed as ever, that Harry sprung the question on him, tightly holding onto Elian's hand for reassurance. "Would you... be my mate?"

Tom, to Harry's great surprise, froze, his eyes going slightly glassy with emotion. His mouth opened a closed, hand twitching by his side in an anxious movement, staring into his eyes with unnatural intensity. "You are sure of your choice in me?"

"Are you going to try and dissuade me?"

"No, not a chance, I am simply asking before you seal your fate."

His mum leaned closer to him, mouth pressing up against his ear to whisper conspiratorially. "I don't know about him, Harry. He's a bit...well..." She grimaced, pulling back. "But it is all your choice, sweetheart."

He gave her a sideways glance. "I know that, and that's why I am sure that he is my mate." Harry's eyes locked with the Vampire's once more. "So, do you accept?"

Thomas' expression was breathtaking. Harry had never seen someone's smile be so attractive and alluring before- not even Draco's sly smirks, Blaise's smug grins or Elian's blinding beams- it left him dumbfounded. "Is there any universe in which I would deny your request?" The man stood, striding over to him with a hand held out. Harry grabbed it, thinking he was intending to pull him up off of the sofa, but instead, the vampire bent down to press a soft kiss on the inside of his wrist, near to his pulse point. Harry's heartbeat sped up, the sight of those sharp and deadly fangs so close to his veins sending adrenaline racing through his body. Thomas withdrew with a smirk on his lips. "It is my hope that we will all get along splendidly."

This was said, not only to Harry but his three other mates who were standing behind him, staring at their newest partner in apprehension.

"Perhaps, we should leave you alone so that you may get to know one another better without our interference?" Elder Murr spoke up, switching his gaze between Harry and his individual mates.

"That sounds good, yeah."

His mum drew his attention. "Do you want us to leave as well, sweetheart?"

"Might be for the best, I've got to get to know them without supervision at some point, it's better to start now."

"Ok, we'll be in the other meeting room with the Elders if you need us for anything." His dad gently grabbed the waist of his mum, and led her out of the room, following the elders' departure.

Once left alone, they settled themself on the sofas and various armchairs, Blaise and Draco squeezing him into the corner of the sofa with their bulk, Elian and Thomas taking up the armchairs opposite. They sat in awkward silence for a minute or so, before Elian, straightening up in his chair, blurted out the first thing that came into his mind.

"So, what's your favourite colour? Mine's gold!"

"Is gold even a colour?" Blaise raised an eyebrow. Thomas confirmed that it was, muffled slightly from behind the book he had pulled out.

"So, colours?"

"Oh, I like red." Harry smiled.

Draco scoffed teasingly. "Gryffindor. I like silver."

"And you came at me for the connections towards my house?"

"Stereotypical of me, but I like green the most," Blaise answered, slouching back into a more comfortable position.

Silence hung in the air for a moment, and they turned to the only one who had yet to speak. He was sat up straight in his armchair, one leg crossed over the other, the book still in his hands. "Thomas?" The man raised his eyes at the sound of his voice. "What's your favourite colour?"

"Hmm, I'm not sure. Perhaps black or green would be contenders, although I am also partial to reds."

Harry shot a smug look at Draco. "See, a Slytherin that likes red, I'm not sure if you'd ever be able to admit that."

The group spent the rest of their day getting to know each other, although most of their questions were aimed towards Harry. He hoped that, in the future, they'd come to see each other as mates, and not only himself as their only connection.

Then, came the discussion as to what they were going to do after this. Obviously, Harry didn't want to be separated from any of them, but he knew for sure that five people could not fit in his bed- Elian had slept at the end of it the past couple of nights, despite Harry's protests that they should swap around.

Besides, there was also the terrifying thought that, perhaps, he'd need another mate, and therefore would need even more room. It was scary to think about it since he didn't know who he'd choose, having sent away the rest of the Dominants already.

He knew, however, that there was no use speculating about it. They'd find out in the morning whether or not he needed another- which would contend with the previous record of five.

Thomas spoke up. "We will be heading back to my Manor, will we not? Draco still lives with his parents in Malfoy Manor, Blaise also lives with his mother, and Elian?"

The Fae blushed. "Ah, I also still live with my parents. They haven't allowed me to move out yet, since I've only recently become an adult."

"Then, it's settled, yes?"

"Um, we're moving in? So soon?"

"That is to be expected, yes. Being mated is essentially the same as being married, and I doubt you'd want to still be living at home when your heat hits if your cycle is especially short."

Harry turned a shocking shade of red. He hadn't allowed himself to think about his upcoming heat for a while now, preferring to ignore the fact that its arrival was only a matter of when.

"Uh, I suppose not. Still, this is a bit short notice, can't I stay with my parents for a little while longer?"

Thomas blinked. A look around showed Blaise and Elian showing similar reactions of confusion. Only Draco looked as he felt, but less so. Obviously, he had some prewarning that this sort of situation could or would happen.

"A week?" 

Thomas raised his eyebrow. "A week? That is much too long, you'd already be on your way to insanity from separation from us by then since I know that Potter Manor isn't big enough to contain us all. You have four siblings, yes? And your parents live there too. Add us in the mix, with you, Draco and Blaise being more volatile due to your more recent inheritances, it could be a recipe for disaster. It surprises me that no violence occurred whilst they were staying there these past few days."

Harry focused on the most startling piece of information the Vampire revealed. "I can go insane just for being separated from you for a week!?"

"Yes, that is the reason why mates are a must for submissives in the first place. Mates help to stabilise a submissive's mental and magical state, either from their sudden creature inheritance or from maturing into their adult creature state. Being away from those stabilisers for more than a certain amount of time can be detrimental to a submissive, especially once they have chosen their mates."

"Then, what about dominants? How come they don't have to find their mates in such a short amount of time? Do they not go insane from their creature inheritances or maturing?"

"Yes, but at a much slower rate, due to the fact that Dominants get stronger with age, whilst Submissives have access to their full power from the time they are considered an adult. The longest a Submissive has held off a mate meeting before going insane after becoming an adult creature is two years, and they ended up killing their own children and Dominant after they mated. The longest a Dominant has lasted is a few hundred years, before they caused the greatest loss of life seen in a mate meeting, killing over a hundred dominants and the Submissive they were vying for. It is why there is such protection at meeting nowadays, and why Submissives are urged to begin the meeting process as soon as possible. Your own meeting lasted for a relatively short amount of time- some can last for as long as a whole year or so." He explained patiently, waiting for Harry to absorb the startling information.

"Then, how much time would you suggest is safe?"

"At most? Up to five days, although that wouldn't be preferable, and you would experience the beginnings of insanity by then. I would say that the most you would be able to tolerate with no repercussions at such a time when you are both newly inherited and mated, is a day or two. Perhaps longer if a couple of us are with you. It is, honestly, only such a short amount of time due to the newness of our bond. Within a few months, that timeframe should expand, but for now, it's best to play it safe."

Harry gaped slightly, closing his mouth when he realised it had dropped open. "Oh. Um... I think...that I'd prefer to spend tonight alone with my family. Just... yeah, then I'll come to yours after that."

"That sounds perfect, even if my instincts don't agree with that sentiment all too much. I am reluctant to see you leave, but I am not the sort of Dominant to deny such a simple request from you. Just make sure you are back by the evening of tomorrow, the morning of the next at the latest."

Harry nodded in agreement.

The air in the manor was stifling, even Dylan and Peony seeming to have picked up on the sombre mood from the way they sat in silence by his doorway, watching as he and their mum packed boxes full of his belongings.

"You won't be taking all of it though, will you, Harry?" Lily picked up the blanket from his bed, holding it tightly between clenched fists. 

Harry huffed from where he sat on the floor, sifting through the items in one of his many draws. "Perhaps? I'm not sure, we're only going to be in Thomas' Manor for a couple of weeks before leaving for Hogwarts, but wouldn't it be best to get everything I need there sooner rather than later?" She clenched the blanket tighter, turning her face away. "I won't be taking everything, Mum. Only the stuff I want. Things like this-" He picked up a light-up ball from the draw, and promptly dropped it back in when it sprouted legs in reaction to his magic. "-Can stay, and I know Draco's already started scouring the fashion catalogue from Twilfitts for new clothes, but I'll be taking most of my books and stuff."

She released a sigh, looking slightly more relieved. "You don't need to keep stuff here for my sake, Harry. I'm sorry about this, but, I just- I just can't believe that you're already moving out!"

"It'll just be like I'm going to Hogwarts for this first year, and obviously I'm going to be here for part of the holidays, so, I mean..."

Lily smiled, softly but sadly. "It's fine, Harry. As long as I know that you are safe, I'm happy that you are moving in with your mates. Now, Thomas has his own Manor? Is it as fancy and over the top as the Malfoys'?"

"I'm not sure, probably. He is a Slytherin, the Slytherin, after all. I can't imagine that it'll be anything less than grand, especially since it's a Lord's Manor."

"Oh, how exciting!" She seemed to have forgotten most of her melancholy of him moving out, abandoning straightening out the blanket to instead sit on the floor with him. Dylan and Peony, still in the doorway, rushed into the room now that the solemn atmosphere had disappeared.

"Ay! Out!" He grabbed Dylan as he dived into one of the half-full boxes, seizing Peony by the leg as she attempted to crawl under his bed, and deposited them both out into the hallway.

"But-But Hawwy!" Dylan whined, and he closed his eyes.

His mum chided him from behind, although there was mirth in her words. "Harry, they're only playing."

"They have a playroom, I'm trying to pack." Instead of closing the door, knowing that a meltdown would ensue, he put up a ward in front of the door instead, thanking that he was finally of age and able to use magic freely. "There. Now, I'd rather this be done before dinner, so that we can relax later." With another swish of his wand, all draws and cupboards opened. He looked through each, before floating what he wanted to pack into his boxes- books, a few pairs of clothes, shoes, trinkets, and his collection of brooms. "Done! Why didn't we pack this way in the first place?"

Lily sighed.

Chapter Text

21st August

The next afternoon, Harry flooed from his parent's house, with much fanfare- his youngest siblings had thrown a fit, his older ones looking like kicked puppies, and his parents blubbering dramatically- to Slytherin Manor. There to greet him in the floo room- and how big must the Manor be to have a whole room dedicated for the multiple floos?- were his four mates sat on the sofas, staring in his direction. Draco was the first to react to his arrival, standing up smoothly, but he wasn't the first to reach Harry.

"Harry!" Elian laughed as he wrapped his arms around him, smiling down at him with shining golden eyes, only to be gone the next second as Draco yanked him back.

"Harry." The Boread engulfed him in his own hug, pressing his face in his hair. To his other side, Blaise also joined in with the hug, a bright grin on his face as he started talking excitedly.

"You won't believe the size of this place, it's bigger than even Malfoy Manor and my estate, and I swear it can compete even with Hogwarts!"

Thomas, who had hung back, smiled at Blaise's exclamation. "Not quite, although I dare say the lands it is built on can. Harry, welcome to Slytherin Manor. How are you?"

Absentmindedly, busy observing the decorated ceiling now, Harry answered. "I'm fine."

"Perfect." Somehow, Thomas managed to fish him out from between the pair and settled him on a sofa with a slight push on his shoulders. He looked up at the Vampire questioningly, who returned his look with a slight smile, a fang poking out from under his top lip. "I thought that we should all sit down so that we may have a serious conversation, now that we are all here." At his unasked request, the other three sat. "I believe that we need to set the ground rules for this mateship, as soon as possible, to lessen the conflicts we may face in the future. Unless, of course, you'd rather postpone this conversation until you were settled in? I apologise if this came across as too hasty." Harry shook his head, seeing the merit of getting this over and done with as soon as they could.

Draco sat forward slightly, a steely glint in his silver eyes. "What sorts of rules?"

"Boundaries and such, and not only rules but aspirations we have, opinions we feel may come into conflict with one another- I want us to get some of it out of the way. Ask anything you wish, but the other is open to not sharing if they do not wish to. Now, Harry, I have a personal question for you that you may not wish to answer, but it is an important one."

"What is it?"

"Your heat cycle started on the 31st of July, on your seventeenth birthday, so you are twenty-two days along now, correct?"

Harry was already blushing at the topic. "Yeah."

"Have you noticed any changes in your diet yet? When you begin to crave high-energy foods, it means that you are more than halfway through your cycle, and we will need to begin preparing for when it will occur." The way he spoke about such an awkward topic, with the detachedness of a doctor but the softness of a mate, made Harry slightly more willing to speak up despite his embarrassment.

"No-no, I don't think so. I mean, apart from the fact that I've grown wings, and my features have changed slightly, I don't feel any different after my inheritance."

"Okay, that's fine, it gives us more time to set down our opinions and get to know one another."

Elian raised his hand slightly, drawing their attention. "Can we write this all down? I feel like I might forget it otherwise."

"Of course." Seemingly, from nowhere, Thomas pulled out a large notebook, and placed it on the table, writing down the date at the top. He wrote Harry's name on the first line, followed by the number '22', and an X. Harry's blush deepened. "I was thinking that we should start with boundaries, things that we don't wish to talk about, actions we won't tolerate from others towards us and the like."

"I don't want any talk about my step-fathers, past or present. I'd rather forget about their existence."

He nodded and wrote that down next to Blaise's name, which was highlighted in purple. "I would also rather not talk about certain members of my family, such as my paternal side, and my mother." Thomas wrote his own down highlighted in red.

"Thomas, I have a question for you."

He looked up. "Yes, Harry?"

"Can we call you Tom," His face scrunched, lips twitching downwards in a physical show of revulsion. "unless that's-"

"You may, I suppose. Being called Thomas by my own mates does sound rather formal. It is like me calling you Harrison," Harry's nose scrunched. "or Draco as Draconis," Draco's lip curled in disgust. "which are your legal names."

" Never , call me Draconis. I hate that stupid name."

Elian smiled, reaching over to give his head a pat, which Draco avoided with a swift movement. "I think it's rather sweet, to look at a baby and think of such a fearsome name, although it seems a bit out of place with you being a Boread and not a Dragonborn. Do you have Dragonborn ancestors?"

"Yes, but our blood no longer carries it. Same with our Veela ancestors, and many others from my mother's side. The only creature blood the Malfoy line still carries is Boread, which we didn't know about until I inherited as one. What about you?"

"Only Fae, as far as we can trace back." Elian turned his head to give the rest of them a smile. "What about the rest of you?"

Tom leaned forward, looking intrigued by the direction the conversation had turned, eyes glinting. "The Slytherin line only carries Vampire blood now, and has done for many centuries."

"My line has quite a mix; Dragonborn, Veela and Vampire." Blaise boasted, puffing out his chest.

"You carry them all?"

"Yeah, Veela from my Veela father, Dragonborn from my mother, and Vampire from my maternal side as well. It accumulated within me, and despite me being a Dragonborn, I'm still a carrier for the other two. How about you, Harry?"

"Only the Fae blood has been passed on, from my mother's side."

Elian perked up, staring at his wings. "You are related to the Sermoira family, right?"

"Yeah, that's what I've been told. Ah, Elian, what's your last name? I forgot to ask." The man shrunk into himself and bit his lip. "Is that...a sensitive subject? I'm sorry for asking-"

"No, no, it's fine! I'm just feeling a bit stupid for having forgotten to tell you sooner. It's Luwynn."

Both Tom and Blaise sat up straighter, staring at Elian in disbelief. "Luwynn? As in, the Luwynn Royal Family, leaders of the Fair Folk?" Blaise blurted out, gaping.

"Mhm."

"How are you related to the leaders?" Tom asked, one sharp eyebrow raised.

"They're my parents, I mean, the King and the Consort are my biological ones, and the Queens are non-biological."

Harry gaped at him as well. "You're a Prince?!" He felt betrayed.

"Tom is a Prince too! His many times' great-grandfather is the King of Vampire kind!"

"Wait, you're both Princes!?" That feeling of betrayal doubled.

"I am a Lord, Harry. My Grandfather doesn't believe in giving out titles such as Prince unless that person is the assured successor. Elian, however, is a Prince, since all children and grandchildren of the rulers are entitled to the title. You must be their youngest child, then."

He shrugged, looking up through his eyelashes. "Yeah, by a while. Sorry for not telling you all sooner, I just prefer not to have my name known by the Submissive at the meetings in case that influences their decision, and I had forgotten to tell you it afterwards. Sorry."

On one hand, he felt blindsided by this revelation- he was apparently now the mate of an actual Prince, and perhaps, that title might have previously dissuaded Harry from choosing the other Fae if he had known. On the other hand, Harry could understand Elian's worries about being chosen only for his background, not out of genuine affection. So, he drew in a shaky breath, and weakly smiled, aiming for it to be as reassuring as he could muster. "It's fine, it's not that big of a deal, none of us have really sat down to have a proper talk with each other yet, it's good that Tom said that we should do it now, otherwise I doubt that would have come up until we met your parents."

Elian chuckled, looking so relieved that Harry felt he had made the right choice in not voicing his displeasure at being so out of the loop. But now, he had the question: what other secrets were his mates holding?

"And my ton of siblings, I haven't opened the letters they've sent me yet since I told them about me being chosen."

Like having siblings. "How many do you have?"

"Letters, or siblings? For letters, It's somewhere around fifty of them, I'm sure they're not all from just my siblings, but most of them are. There are at least three from my sister who is closest in age to me. As for how many siblings I have, I think it's... twenty-seven?" He paused for a second, bobbing his head up and down, before resorting to counting with his fingers. "Yeah, twenty-seven, and that's including all of them no matter if they're blood-related to me or not."

Harry gaped. "Twenty-seven?! That's so many! And I thought having four was a lot, I can't imagine what it was like growing up with all of them."

Elian laughed, leaning forward with a grin. "Twenty-seven isn't out of the ordinary for a mateship of four like my parents', most have at least fifty. Although those twenty-seven are only my siblings that are still alive, a lot of them died before I was born- wizards and witches, unfortunately, don't share our lifespan. So in all actuality, my parents probably have around a hundred or so children born over the span of just shy of ten thousand years. I'm very much the youngest, so I missed out on growing up with them all, so..." He shrugged. "I can only imagine what it would have been like."

Harry bit his lip. What Elian said hit him hard and was, unfortunately, right. Fae could live for over ten millennia, and the oldest Wix had only made it to seven hundred and something. That meant, gut-wrenching to think about, he would most likely outlive all of his human relatives by a long shot, including his parents, and younger siblings if they also didn't have a Creature Inheritance. It made his mood plummet suddenly, and he no longer felt any enthusiasm to continue with the conversation at hand, which had continued whilst he was in the midst of his thoughts.

"Um, can we think more on this tomorrow, I feel kind of tired now." He faked a sheepish smile towards the concerned glances sent his way.

Tom's eyes flashed knowingly. "Don't you want to eat some dinner first? It'll be served in an hour."

"No thanks, I'd rather sleep right now. Um..." Harry hesitated for a moment. "Can we... have separate rooms?" The surprised look on their faces made him backtrack. "Just for tonight or so, not forever!"

"Do you not feel comfortable enough with me yet, Harry?" Tom asked, expression blank but eyes understanding, and Harry opened his mouth to answer. "You may have your own room if you wish."

"I just-"

"It's fine, Harry. I am old enough not to worry about such things. I am a Vampire, in political opposition to your father, and not someone you know or open enough for that not to matter. Now, would you all like to come and choose which room you would like to stay in for the night?" 

They followed the man up to the next floor by the great marble staircases that led up from the front hall, and into the first floor's main hallway, as he gave an overview of the rooms within the manor, which was quite the list, and he probably didn't even mention all of them. "On this floor, there's the master bedroom, and thirteen other bedrooms of various sizes, as well as two unofficial nurseries connecting to the master bedroom, three studies, a children's library, a play area with a closed-off side for younger children, a room for older children, as well as four bathrooms, not including en-suite's. On the ground floor, which I will give you a tour of tomorrow morning, Harry, there is the entrance hall, a family dining room, a family living room, a trophy room, a room for the floos, a family room, a music room, a small nursery, the kitchen and utility room, as well as the pantry, a ballroom, a bathroom, my study, a potions room and astronomy tower, the main library, a duelling room and a patio that leads out to the garden. On the second floor, it only contains bedrooms and a study space. The top floor is a loft with another study, which Elian has already claimed for himself."

"Where did you all sleep last night?"

"Within the Master bedroom, although there wasn't much sleeping happening."

Harry went bright red as his thoughts went wild, and next to him, Elian burst out into cackles.

Tom huffed, a slight smile quirking his lip. "Not like that, no, it was instead Draco's incessant pacing that kept us awake. And then Elian made it worse by deciding he'd rather sleep in the tree outside the window, leaving the window open and inviting in mosquitoes." He opened the last door at the end of the straight hallway, pushing it open to reveal an empty room. "Through that door," He pointed to the door on the right wall. "Is another hallway. Taking the door right in front of you will lead you into the master bedroom, and entering the one at the far end leads you into a study, which I believe you will like. At the moment, this room is simply an empty spare, although in the future I'm anticipating that it will perhaps be a second nursery, as it was intended." With a swish of his hand, a bed appeared against the far wall, a nightstand with a few books next to it, and a small desk with a lamp and parchment. "Is there anything else you need?"

"I don't think so. Thanks, for, you know..." He gestured to the room.

"No thanks are needed, Harry." He turned his head to the other three, meeting each of their eyes. "If you need us, me, Draco and Blaise will be down in the dining hall, which you enter from in between the staircases. Elian will be in the other room, otherwise." With a last smile, he exited the room, Draco throwing Harry a worried looked, Blaise mirroring it, before following after him.

Elian gave him a pat on the head, smiling when he swatted his hand away. "Like Tom said, I'll just be through those doors if you need anything. See you in the morning, Harry."

"Goodnight."

After his final mate left the room, Harry collapsed onto the bed with a sniff. Merlin, he'd only been here for half an hour, and he'd already ruined the mood and shut himself away from them, he was so stupid. The first few days were crucial, but he let himself grow overemotional over something that would, hopefully, not happen for a while yet.

With a sigh, his eyes fell closed, and he soon drifted off into a fitful sleep, despite it not even being evening yet.

22nd August 1997

As promised, the next day, after a filling breakfast, Tom began his tour of the Manor. It was only them, Elian having been called back to the Fae realm by his parents for an important discussion, and Draco and Blaise had said they were going to hole themself up in the library to get their summer assignments done by the end of the day so that the rest of the holidays would be free. It reminded Harry that he still hadn't started on a single piece of his own, but he had always been the last-minute sort of person when it came to any sort of homework.

They started with the ground floor, in the front hall, which was a grand thing he hadn't been properly able to look at yesterday due to his mood. The ceiling was twice as high, connecting up with the first floors, and was beautiful with paintings of events long past etched onto it. The staircases themselves were a work of art, white marble with dark wooden bannisters decorated with vines and leaves, leading all the way up to the balcony looking over the entrance hall. 

Tom decided to show him the dining room first after that, which wasn't as large as he had been expecting, as he had many tortuous dinners in the Malfoy's 'family dining room' before to know how over-the-top pureblood families tended to be. The room itself was quite big, the same width as the front hall and half as long, but the dark oak table only seemed big enough to fit eight people, maybe twelve at a maximum. Despite the size of the room, it looked cosy, the dim and comforting light attributed to the chandelier hanging in the centre of the room, lit with what looked like hundreds of candles, and the flickering fire at the far end, surrounded by sofa's, armchairs and bookshelves.

The next room they entered was the 'small' living room, which was only slightly smaller than the previous room. Harry felt compelled to open his mouth, the silence having reigned for long enough. "It's...very green."

Tom huffed by his side. "Most of the furniture in this house is hundreds of years old, and hasn't been touched since the last Creature Slytherin descendant lived here, I don't dare to touch them with a colour-changing charm, no matter how much I want to."

"Then how will they cope when uh...maybe we have children?" Harry raised an eyebrow seriously, despite his mid-sentence stutter.

"Then we'll have to see about moving them into storage and replacing them with more sturdier alternatives or placing them under protective enchantments. For the time being, I simply like to admire my ancestors' choices of style. Now, this area is the smaller of the two living rooms, more for us than others, which is what the larger one I will show you later is for. It's the central room of the house, where the keystone for the wards is held, behind that picture." He pointed towards a nondescript but pretty painting of a flowery scene. "Please don't touch it unless it's an emergency, it is unfortunately off limits to all who aren't of direct Slytherin blood, and will administer a nasty shock- and that's with you being recognised as my mate."

"Alright. Any reason why it's in a living room and not somewhere more secure?"

"This room is incredibly secure, you are only in here because you are my mate, the wards would have harmed you otherwise. That's what is meant by it is a space only for us. Now, should I show you the ballroom or the trophy room next?"

The tour took up the majority of the day, and halfway through, Draco joined them, soon followed by Blaise, having finished up their homework. It was only at dinner when Elian finally arrived back from his meeting with his parents, a happy expression on his face, carrying a box.

"Sorry I'm so late, there was a lot to talk about, such as our mateship among other things. Anyway, my parents asked me to give you this, Harry." He placed the box in front of him, and Harry pushed his plate aside to receive it, having hardly touched the food yet.

"No, finish your food first, the gift can wait. You didn't have any food for dinner last night, and you barely touched your lunch."

"It'll only take a few minutes, Tom." But before he could reach for the box, it was snatched off the table by the person who had put it there.

"He's right, Harry. Food first, sorry, I got a bit excited." He placed the box on the floor at his feet and settled next to Blaise on the opposite side of the table.

Harry gaped a little, feeling emotions swelling within him suddenly, a strange feeling. "If I want to open it now, why can't I?" He felt a tad embarrassed at being so defensive over opening a present, but he couldn't help the words tumbling out of his mouth. "Am I not an adult?"

Tom sighed as if he had been expecting his retort, making Harry bristle further. "Of course you are, but we are eating at the moment. You can open the present after, which will also only be in a few minutes if you start eating now." He spoke softly, staring into Harry's eyes, and despite his instincts telling him to retort, he deflated slightly, feeling like a petulant child being told off as he dragged the plate closer. 

"I guess."

By his side, Draco could no longer hold in his snickers and earned himself a slap to the back of his head by a now embarrassed Harry.

23rd August 1997

The present had turned out to be a big boxful of books about the creature world, and Tom had promptly directed him to his study- the one right next to the master bedroom they had all shared the night before- to put the books on the empty shelves. They had decided whose study was whose the night before; Tom kept the one he had on the ground floor, Draco and Blaise took the two next to each other near the children's library, Elian obviously had the one up in the attic, and Harry had chosen the one next to the Master bedroom since it had a semi-circular window seat, a brilliant view out into a pond full of pretty fish and a large tree that brushed up against the house. That was the one Elian had spent his first night in.

It was nice to have his own space, not that he didn't have one when he lived with his parents, but it was often invaded by his younger siblings. Here, the wards to the room were keyed to his magic, and only those who he invited in could enter, creating a safe place for Harry to escape to when reality crashed too hard on him.

He sat on the comfy, burgundy-red rug by the bookshelves, filling them with all the books he had acquired throughout the years and gifted recently. The very bottom shelves were for his textbooks from years one to six, since he doubted he'd want to look at them anytime soon- not until his dreaded NEWTS exams at the end of the year. Then, the next was taken up by some of his nicer-looking books, and the ones he had yet to read for easy access. The top shelves were for the oldest books, namely those from the Potter's library and Black library that he didn't want to get damaged. He only managed to fill half of one set of shelves, using bookends to stop them from toppling over, but there were still well over a hundred books on it.

Finally finished, Harry flopped onto the plush chair situated behind his desk and sighed contentedly.

This situation wasn't something he'd been planning on, but it was beginning to grow on him as time passed and he grew closer to his mates.

The five of them gathered in the bigger living room later in the evening, with cups of tea and slices of cake and biscuits stacked neatly on a tower, brought in by a pair of house elves.

Harry and the others had been introduced to Tom's personal house elves, a congregation of six, at dinner time. There was Sooty, the oldest who had been serving the Slytherin line for centuries and did a variety of jobs around the house, Link and Trix, a bonded pair that mainly worked within the kitchens, their two children Linx and Tink, who themselves were over a century old and worked within the grounds of the manor, and the youngest, Deeny, who had been gifted to Tom when he first became Lord Slytherin, taking care of sorting paperwork and odd chores.

Tom had informed them that, out of the six, only Deeny was truly his, and that the others were formally his grandfather's house elves, and only listened to him since he was the current Lord Slytherin and resided within the Manor. They would also listen to them, although only because they were his mates.

Harry munched thoughtfully on a slice of victoria sponge as he remembered how finely the house elves were dressed, King Slytherin having obviously found a loophole to dress them in such clothes, putting even the ones his father had managed to procure for his to shame.

To his side, Blaise looked at him with a partly-amused, partly-disgusted expression. "Enjoying that, are you?"

"Hmm." He hummed, taking an even larger bite, relishing in the horrified look it drew.

Across from him, Draco cleared his throat, looking slightly abashed under their collective, intense attention. "I have something that's been on my mind for a little while now, ever since Tom became Harr- our final mate. I know that the rest of you are definitely feeling it by now, the instinctive need to fight each other for Dominance. Therefore," He drew in a breath. "I wanted to tell you that you can count me out, I'm willing to take the place of the lowest Dominant."

Tom set his tea down on the table with a thud, expression serious as he steepled his fingers, and Harry, confused, listened in. "Are you sure, Draco?"

"Yes, I know I'm more of a protector than a fighter, and my instinct is telling me that I'd be better off not fighting for a position when Harry will love me either way." His eyes flickered to meet Harry's briefly, a small smile gracing his lips.

Elian slung an arm around Draco's shoulders, drawing himself closer to his ear. "You don't want to have a little bit of a tussle then, eh?"

He raised one sleek, blonde eyebrow. "A... tussle? Absolutely not." His lip raised in derision, looking like a picturesque pureblood heir.

"C'mon, don't be such a wimp. Don't you want the satisfaction of knowing that you can beat any one of us in a fight, yet you personally chose to be the lowest ranking? Ranking in Mateships, although it doesn't seem like it means much, does mean something in Creature society, Draco. It goes Submissive," He points to Harry. "Top Dominant, Secondary Dominant if there is one, and then so on for however many mates there are. Are you really going to subject yourself to not being the one with respect, just because of your rank?" He played on Draco's need for attention and superiority complex with innocently wide eyes, smiling sharkishly when the Boread went stiff at his side.

Draco grit his teeth. "Elian, I said that I. Don't. Care. So what if I'm not spoken to first by a bunch of old farts?"

Harry, who had been watching the scene from his spot on the sofa, burst into laughter. "Bunch of old-" He wheezed, bringing up a hand to muffle the noise.

"Oh, for- I want to have a fight with you! I don't care what the result is, I just wanted to rile you up because I've never had a fight with a Boread before, or even seen one apart from you!"

"Then just say that!" Draco tutted, before lunging forward, wrapping an arm around Elian's neck. Elian, surprised at the unexpected action, allowed him to pull him backwards for a moment, before snapping into action.

The fight was merely a blur to Harry's eyes and was over in a matter of seconds, but if Tom's impressed whistle was anything to go by, it must have been something. Elian was sat above Draco, who was pinned face-first into the ground with a hand at his nape, looking unruffled in comparison.

"That's-" Draco panted. "Exactly why...I didn't want to do that."

"But it's better to have a go than to give up straight away, especially when no actual harm will come to you from the situation." The Fae chirped in response, looking gleefully fond. He reached forward with his other hand to ruffle Draco's white locks, taking advantage of his lack of struggle.

"I don't know, his pride must be feeling it quite harshly." Blaise cackled, staring down at the pair in amusement, purple eyes flashing.

Elian drew back, and Draco slowly lifted himself up off of the floor, a tinge of red spread across his cheeks as he avoided eye contact with Harry, who was now crouched at his side. Obviously, the results of the 'fight' affected him much more than he would like to admit to them.

On impulse, Harry reached forward and grabbed the man's face, pulling him forward into a brief kiss, eyes closed with his own embarrassment. The room went silent, and when he finally drew back and opened up his eyes, Draco was staring back at him with an even deeper blush, but a wide smile that made his silver eyes sparkle.

"Ah, what! Where's my kiss?! I was the winner!"

24th August 1997

On the morning of the 24th, Harry was awoken rudely by a loud crash nearby, his eyes snapping open. Sitting upright with a gasp, his wide eyes took in the sight of Blaise being pressed harshly into the broken mess of the bedroom's bookcase, receiving an intense kiss from none other than Elian, who looked like the embodiment of a Fae prince with his golden wings on full display, practically glowing with power.

"What the fuck are you two doing?! It's..." He cast a Tempus. "It's five in the bloody morning!"

"They had a fight for dominance, with Blaise losing, although I doubt he'll count that as a loss." Tom gestured to where the two were still locked in their own world.

Harry turned his head stiffly to face the man, taking in his relaxed form with bloodshot eyes. "And why at five in the morning?"

"Elian accidentally kicked him in his sleep, and he saw that as an issue challenge and threw him on the floor. From what I saw, Blaise is quite strong for his age, but of course, experience wins out in the end."

Finally, Elian pulled back, a mischievous grin on his face, eyes sparkling as he stared down at Blaise. "Want to have a go at Tom next? I think I'd enjoy watching that." He whispered, eyes snapping to lock onto Tom's form.

Blaise sent a glance to where they were both sitting up in bed, Draco having miraculously slept through the whole thing, and seemed to freeze. "No thanks, I'll admit defeat."

"Aww, then how about me and you have a fight, then?" Elian directed towards Tom, who looked to Harry, before swinging out of the bed. 

"I suppose it's best if we get this out of the way now. This'll be the fight for top Dominance, yes?"

"Yeah." Elian lowered himself into a crouch, warily eyeing Tom as he simply stood there. Then, they were both a blur in the next moment, the sound of their clashing finally rousing Draco from his deep sleep.

"Whas'happenin'?"

"Elian and Tom are fighting for top Dominance."

That got his full attention, and he was upright with an interested expression only a moment later. "You lost to them both?" He directed this at Blaise, who had joined them on the bed to spectate the two blurs.

"Only to Elian, I don't think I have the guts or the skills to stand up to someone like Tom. I didn't have the skills to stand up to Elian either, but at least he's not inherently terrifying."

The clash carried on for several more minutes, Harry only managing to catch glimpses of it near the end when his eyes adjusted, until, finally, it stopped. Both had laboured breathing, although Elian's was slightly more so with the hand wrapped tightly around his neck restricting airflow as he dangled in the air.

Harry lurched forward, eyes wide, but each of his shoulders was grabbed by Draco and Blaise, who pulled him backwards. "Harry, leave them!"

"But he's hurting him! Tom-"

"No, he's not. Elian can stop this at any time, he's just being stubborn."

Harry looked at the pair closer and noticed the determined glare Elian was sending Tom, who was simply looking back at him with a small smile on his face, teasing.

Elian tutted, reaching a hand up to tap at the one around his throat. "I give. Off." They stared at each other for a few more moments, before Tom loosened his fingers, and Elian dropped to the floor, rubbing at his throat which now sported a hand-shaped red mark. 

Making a noise in the back of his throat, Harry shrugged off the hands on his shoulders and clambered off of the bed to sit at Elian's side, getting a small smile when he gently rubbed over the reddened area. "It's fine, Harry. I doubt it'll even bruise. I was just being stubborn even when I knew I'd lost already."

Feeling soft in the face of his earnest gaze, Harry leaned forward and softly pecked the man's cheek, brushing their cheeks together in an intimate, instinctive gesture that had Elian freezing in his arms. Drawing back, he clambered back into the bed feeling slightly flushed and all too tired to continue feeling such things. "Now, sleep! It's five in the morning! We have stuff to get done tomorrow."

26th August 1997

"You gave both Elian and Draco a kiss, do I get one for fighting too?"

Harry snorted, looking up over the lip of his book at Blaise, who was leaning on the doorframe of his study. He closed it, opening up his arms to invite him closer.

Blaise, with a smile, collapsed onto the sofa with him, the breath leaving Harry both with his gorgeous smile and the way he lunged into his arms, crushing him with his weight.

"Can't-breathe!"

Blaise lifted himself up slightly, releasing him of the pressure, still grinning. "Kiss?"

"Hm, I suppose." Harry tilted his head to the side, smiling teasingly. He drew closer to the man above him, whose breathing had grown heavier, allowing their lips to brush for a mere moment, before swerving to the side and pressing a kiss to his cheek. "There you go!"

"That's not a kiss!"

"That's what I gave Elian, you said that I have given both Draco and Elian a kiss."

The man groaned, collapsing back onto the far side of the sofa. "But you did that thing with Elian. You know, the-" He made a frustrated noise in the back of his throat, unable to articulate what he went, instead making odd waving motions.

"He nuzzled him, it's an intimate gesture in Fair and Feline Creatures." Tom's voice startled them, turning to where he stood in the doorway. "Usually, it's only initiated between Fae, in Harry and Elian's case, but can occur between mates of Fae and their children, although less often. Perhaps, instead, you can teach him what Dragonborn do?"

Blaise's cheeks tinted slightly. "That's- would you let me?" He turned to Harry with searching eyes.

"If I knew what 'that' was."

"Well-" He groaned. "It's-" He stopped again.

"He'd bite you. Well, it's more like a nip, biting is for Vampires." Tom flashed his sharp teeth teasingly.

"You want to  bite  me?"

"It's not a bite! It's a nip!"

Harry huffed, pondering for a few moments. "If it won't hurt, I guess so."

Under Tom's dark, watchful stare, Blaise grew closer, face disappearing from his vision as his lips brushed against his neck. Without warning, a tongue lathered the spot, and Harry shivered, opening his mouth to question him.

"What are you-" He cut himself off with a squeak, the spot Blaise was biting- That was not a nip!- almost burning before it tapered off into a pleasant buzzing feeling.

The man drew back a few moments later. "Was that ok?" He asked, eyebrows drawn together in concern. Behind him, Tom was leaning against the doorframe, a pleased expression on his face.

It took Harry a few seconds to regain control over his body. "What the fuck... was that!"

Blaise pursed his lips. "It's an affectionate Dragonborn gesture, on par with what you did to Elian."

"Biting and nuzzling aren't the same thing."

"Yes, but the intentions of the actions are." Tom tilted his head. "Maybe, whilst you're susceptible, I could show you the Vampire ver-"

"Absolutely not! If a nip is a bite, I don't want to know what a bite is!"

Later on in the day, Harry cornered Tom, his top dominant being the only one to have not received a kiss yet- and it was still strange to refer to him as that.

Tom looked timid for once, eyes darting away from his face as he closed in. "Don't you want to kiss me?"

"I...I'm not quite sure how I'll react." He cleared his throat, still not meeting his eyes.

"You won't hurt me, right?" He shook his head vigorously. "Good, then there's nothing to worry about." He didn't let the man say anything else, before he surged forward, gathering all his new-found confidence, and pressed their lips together. 

Neither of them moved for a few moments, Harry's confidence waning, about to draw back, before Tom seemed to  melt,  pressing forward into the kiss with enthusiasm he gladly reciprocated.

Harry felt a rumble growing within the other man's chest and paused. "Are you..." He was cut off as his lips were captured once more, and the rumble grew even louder. Every time he drew away to speak, or even breathe, he never got far.

A while later, he was finally released, gasping as he drew back into the sofa's push cushions. He stared at Tom as he panted, an eyebrow raising. "Vampires can purr?"

A blush grew lightly on his cheeks, and he leaned backwards, his head falling off the back of the sofa. "Mhm."

"You're embarrassed?" He grunted again, this time swinging an arm up to cover his eyes. "I quite liked it, it's sweet."

Tilting his head, Tom allowed one sharp, red eye to peek out. "I'm surprised it even happened, but I suppose...we are mates, after all."

Harry felt giddy hearing those words. "Yeah, we are."

29th August 1997

On the twenty-ninth, mere days before Hogwarts began once more, it was only Elian and Harry left in the house during the morning. Draco had been called away by his father for another politics lesson, Blaise went to see his mother for a few hours, and Tom had been called in for a Wizengamot meeting that he was sure his dad and uncle Sirius were attending as well.

So, it was just the two of them left to lounge about the house, which inspired all sorts of random thoughts.

"Do you want to learn how to use those?" Elian asked suddenly, pointing at Harry's wings which were still on show, their iridescence sparkling in the summer sunshine. He had yet to properly learn how to hide them, but there was progress, and he didn't feel the need to keep them tucked away whilst he was in private anyway.

He raised an eyebrow, looking sceptically down at the paper-thin, butterfly-like appendages. "They're usable? I thought that they wouldn't be able to hold my weight, they're quite flimsy looking."

"Of course, we're magical creatures, they're stronger than they look." He flashed him an excited smile. "Come on, it might be better to learn indoors where the wind can't affect you."

They headed towards the duelling room, which he had only glimpsed into during the tour with Tom, and entered the cavernous hall, feeling a slight  ping  to their magic as they crossed the strong wards.

Walking to the centre, Elian crossed his arms. "First, I'll have to go through the theory with you, and since we have different wing shapes, yours being rounded as is typical for a Sermoira's, I won't be able to accurately show you how to fly. Different shapes mean different styles."

"Ah, that reminds me, can you tell me more about the Sermoiras?"

"Of course, I happen to know them quite well. The Sermoira family are quite an affluent family in our realm, having the status of a Noble family. They are notable for their iridescent, butterfly-like wings, and bright green eyes, as well as their white hair. It's honestly quite startling to see a Sermoira with such dark colouring, it really makes your eyes stand out. Their eldest member has a seat on the Council of Ancients, and they are very interactive with our Realms political system. Do you perhaps know exactly which Fae are your ancestors? The Sermoira family has a main branch, and then some side branches, and further information often depends on which branch you are related to."

"No, my mum isn't too keen to broach that subject yet. My dad is working on it, so hopefully, we'll know sometime in the future, but at the moment, he doesn't want to push it."

"I can make a guess if you'd like? I'd need you to stretch out your wings first though."

Harry did as he was asked, allowing his wings to unfurl, twitching when Elian ran his fingertips gently over their surface. He circled him, eyeing his wings with fascination as they shifted in the light. He paid intense attention to the roots of his wings- visible through the cuts in his shirt- and the tips of them, as well as observing the pointed shape of his ears and teeth.

"I have a slight inclination to which other line you may descend from, which narrows down which Sermoira and branch you're related to by a lot, however, there is also the fact that those characteristics may come from further down the line instead of recently. But, I can tell you that you are probably related to the Hui family, also affluent, but more involved in academics than politics. They are known for having pointier ears and teeth than most Fae, darker wing roots- yours are black-, and having a more opaque edge to the tips of their wings. Also, commonly, they have red hair, although some are known to hedge more towards blonde."

"My mum has-"

"The characteristic red hair, yep, although a bit closer to ginger."

"And my aunt, cousin and younger brother all have blonde hair too."

"Right, then you being related to the Hui's should make this lesson easier, they're known for being natural-born flyers, after all. Now, tuck your wings in slightly- not all the way, just slightly. Then, tilt them forward like I am, so that they're facing the ground at an angle. Perfect. Flap them a little, get a feel of how dense the air is, and what the wind feels like, and adjust appropriately until you are feeling comfortable. Now, this might sound a little scary, but try and lift off, I'll be here to help you if anything goes wrong."

Harry followed his instructions, flapping his wings at a steadily increasing pace, until he felt his feet slightly come off the floor, the gap between them and land growing bigger with every movement."

"Wow, natural-born flyers indeed, I can't believe you've succeeded first try!"

He wobbled slightly in the air, the feeling of being suspended from his back unnatural compared to sitting on a broomstick, but at the same time, it felt better, as if he was in more control.

"Now, try landing without falling over, and then that'll be that done. I can't believe it's taken you less than five minutes to learn how to fly!"

Harry chuckled, concentrating fiercely on not tilting too far forward and therefore making a fool of himself by faceplanting after Elian had praised him on his flying skills. He felt himself wobble dangerously as he grew nearer to the floor, losing his stability as his wings decided to suddenly furl in, dropping the last half a metre to the ground only to be steadied by his mate.

"That was so good! You really are a natural! Now, let's work on your stability in the air before we move onto any sort of forward movement."

Later on in the evening, when they were all sitting comfortingly in the living room, Tom turned to him with a knowing look.

"Have you finished all of your homework yet, Harry?"

He snorted, continuing to flick through his magazine. "I haven't even touched the textbooks."

Draco turned towards him sharply. "You haven't done your homework yet?!"

"There's still time, I'm just enjoying the holidays whilst I can! Besides, classes don't start until the 2nd, and even then, I might not have a lesson that day."

"Harry, we are doing your homework."

"There's a 'we' in this-" His magazine was yanked from his hands, and despite his spluttering, chucked away as he was hauled off the sofa and bodily dragged towards the library. "Draco, this isn't needed-"

"Yes. It. Is."

Chapter Text

31st August

The final day of the summer holidays was supposed to be one of relaxation, all homework done, uniforms and supplies organised and bags packed already. However, when three owls arrived whilst they were having tea in the family living room, the relaxed air broke.

"Why would they send the letter the evening before we need to be at Hogwarts!? I've been inherited since June, Blaise since November last year, and even Harry's been a Creature for over a month now!" Draco scowled, standing up to pace, handing over his letter to Tom when he held out his hand.

Tom scanned the letter in silence, before snorting, placing it harshly down on the table. "Because Dumbledore is an incompetent fool."

"What's wrong?"

Draco, who had been working himself up, looked slightly wild as he span to face Harry at his question, causing the Fae to slightly shrink back, lip twitching at the sight of his messy hair. "Dumbledore has decided to send us notice that we've apparently got an extra class on our timetable, Creature Studies, the day before we begin! There's a textbook we need to get for it, and a questionnaire to answer for the teacher! How are we going to do that!?"

Blaise tutted, opening his own letter and scanning it briefly, nose scrunching. "I don't even have this one, it's so outdated now, by over two hundred years."

"What do we do?"

Elian stood, drawing their attention. "It's doubtful that Diagon Alley will have this book, not that any bookstores would be open now, but my parents might have a few copies- I'll ask around my family. We can order new ones after-"

Tom interrupted him with a smile. "There's no point getting new ones, it's such an outdated book. Thanks, Elian." The man beamed, before heading out of the doors for the floo room. "What you should do in the meantime is that questionnaire."

"How can we do that without the textbook?" Harry questioned, reaching for his own letter.

Blaise, who had pulled out the parchment the questionnaire was on already, sighed in relief. "It's a questionnaire based on ourselves- our teacher wants to know our personal details, our Creature type, our classification, whether we have close Creature relatives and a short summary of how much knowledge we already possess."

Harry tutted, pulling out his own parchment and grabbing one of the pens in the middle of the table. "So much for a relaxing final evening."

The Fair-Folk Realm- Royal Palace

Elian walked the halls of the Palace with a nervous, swift gait, passing by the other Fae roaming the corridors without a second glance, despite how many bowed at him.

It still made him nervous to walk the Palace halls despite being an adult now, too many instances of being sequestered by the public who rarely saw a Fae child still burned into his mind.

He turned right, left, and right, until he finally entered the large doors at the end of the quiet corridor, entering his Family's personal area. A relieved breath left him as he leaned back against the doors, relaxing now that he was out of the public's view.

"El, what are you doing here at this time, is everything alright?"

A soft voice spoke in front of him, and his golden eyes snapped open to meet a pair as equally as vibrant as his own. They belonged to a very familiar face that mirrored Elian's and the majority of his siblings, one of his many older siblings, towering over him with a concerned expression.

"Esias, hi." He bashfully greeted, blushing slightly under his older brother's searching gaze. "Yeah, I'm," He cleared his throat. "I'm good! Just here for some books. From the library."

His brother hummed, tilting his head, long black hair tumbling over his shoulder as he did so. "As long as you're ok...How's your mate? Or, mates, If I remember correctly. The young inherited Fae, the Vampire, the...Dragonborn and the..."

"Boread, his name's Draco."

Esias' face lit up in remembrance. "Boread! Yeah, wow, there aren't many of them about anymore, I can remember when they used to compete with the Veela in numbers...Anyway, how are they all?"

"Good, they're good, although Harry, Draco and Blaise are a little stressed currently since they're going back to Hog- school tomorrow and their headmaster has only just informed them that they have a Creature Studies class to attend, and don't have the textbook needed. That's why I'm here."

"Ah, that explains it! Well, good luck with finding that textbook, although I should rather be wishing you luck in getting out of the library or castle altogether."

"Why?"

His older brother smirked. " Da's  in the library currently."

Shit.

"Good luck~" He taunted as he left through the double doors, leaving Elian to make the trek to the library with no further interactions.

His  da  sat on one of the many sofas in the library, settled comfortably in its corner with a blanket over his bottom half, white eyes scanning the book in his hands. Elian made his way slowly towards him, making his footsteps heavier to announce his arrival.

Seeing his approach when he looked up, Alian stood from his spot on the plush sofa, eyebrows furrowing with concern. He made a noise in the back of his throat, hurrying closer to cradle his youngest son's face between his hands, eyes searching. "El, sweetheart, you're back so soon." He spoke in his usual soft, whispy voice, barely heard even in the silence of the library. "Is anything the matter? Are you and your mates well?"

"Yes,  da , everything's fine, I've only come for some books."

With confirmation that nothing was amiss, his da perked up, colourless eyes shining as he entwined their hands together. "Which do you need? Are they for your mates? The Fae? The Boread? I know they're quite young and inherited Creatures. I will recommend some, follow me." Despite his smaller stature, his  da  managed to pull him towards the bookshelves.

"I only need a specific one, although I need three copies of it. It's called 'Creature Society for the newly Inherited' by Laudee Vern, 1767. Do we have it?"

Alian tutted, looking up at Elian with a scrunched-up nose. "That book isn't an accurate depiction of Creature society, all it will do is confuse them. And it's not appropriate for inherited Creatures to read, with the stance the author has on them. Whatever do they need it for, and three at that?"

"Hogwarts, it's one of their set textbooks, although they only received notice that they would be joining that class today, so we don't have the time to try and find one elsewhere. Besides, as you said, it's outdated and wrong, why would we spend money on new ones?"

"Hmm, I'm sure we have at least one somewhere." He perused the nearest shelf, scanning the shelves with superhuman speed, before moving on to the next one with a tut of dissatisfaction. He continued to shuffle through the shelves for the next few minutes until he hummed in delight. "You're in luck, we have exactly three copies, although I have no idea why we would have so many. Here, sweetheart." He passed the stack to Elian, placing an extra fourth, fifth and sixth book on top of the ones he had requested, although he knew better than to try to give them back.

"Thanks,  da. "

"As proper thanks, you should arrange a time for me, your father and your mothers to come and see you and your mates, you've already been mated for over two weeks! I want to meet my new son-in-laws!"

Elian rolled his eyes fondly, accepting the kiss on his cheek. "I will,  da ."

"Have a safe journey home, and make sure to tell those boys that that book is full of utter shit!"

" Yes, da! "

"And don't think I won't be checking in later tonight to see if everything's alright!"

"I'm leaving!"

He arrived back at the manor, swiftly heading for the living room where his mates sat, filling out their questionnaires with some grumbling. Tom was sat by Harry's side, helping him with the ones he didn't quite understand.

"What do I put in  Creature bloodline ? My mum's maiden name? Or do I put Sermoira and Hui?"

"Sermoira and Hui, your mum's maiden name is classed as a muggle one."

Harry hummed, writing down what he'd said in the box, before pausing. "Wait, does this mean that my mum isn't actually a muggle-born? Since she's descended from magical beings."

Elian cleared his throat, drawing their attention. "To the wizarding world, yes, she is a Muggleborn, since they don't recognise Creature blood further back than grandparents, and from what you've said, your Great-Grandparents aren't Creatures. To Creatures, it depends on how many generations removed she is from her most recent direct Creature ancestor. If, say, a great-grandparent of hers was a Creature, then she is considered a Creature-born. Any more generations removed than that and she would be regarded as a Creature-descendant, but that doesn't hold much weight, it only means that she has the possibility of being a blood carrier. However, now that you, her son, have inherited as a Creature, she would be regarded as the same as a Creature-born."

Harry, who had put his pen down partway through his explanation, raised an eyebrow. "That sounds way too confusing."

"Yes, she is a Muggleborn, but to Creatures, she's a Creature-born or descendant." Tom clarified. "Now, next question."

"Ah, Elian, did you manage to get the textbooks, or are they as close as you could find?" Draco asked, plucking the top book from the pile in his arms.

"Yeah, my da managed to find three of them to his surprise, the top three are extras I couldn't refuse."

"'Faire Folke: A Compendium'."

"I think he's put one about Fae, one about Boreads, and one about Creature society as a whole, which will be more helpful than these ones." Elian placed the pile down on the table, splitting it in half and pushing the textbooks towards Blaise and Harry.

"Are the textbooks really  that  bad? The teacher wouldn't set them if they were."

"My da said to tell you that they're 'utter shit', and I've learnt to trust him on such things. Read it enough so that you know what it says, but don't take anything it says to heart."

Harry opened the textbook and began to read, eyebrows scrunching as he flipped the page, and another, and another, and another- "Is this person even a Creature, or do they enjoy villainising themself!?"

"Laudee Vern was a Creature-born Veela who saw Inherited Creatures as inferior. It confuses and worries me that this is the textbook that the Creature Studies professor chose, especially since there will likely be more Inherited than Creature-born Creatures in attendance." Elian answered with a frown, wanting nothing more than to take the book from his mate's hands and burn it. The professor who had set this as the compulsory textbook should be ashamed of themselves, whether they were a Creature or not.

1st September 1997

As students, Harry, Blaise and Draco were the only ones allowed to board the Hogwarts Express, something which Harry frowned about when they informed him of that last moment. However, Elian and Tom would be flooing to the castle ahead of them instead to get their rooms sorted before their arrival, which he could see the merits of.

It didn't mean that he was happy to be separated from half of his mates for the whole long train journey from London to Scotland, however.

With his face pressed to the glass childishly, he watched as the forms of Tom and Elian grew smaller and smaller the further away the train got until he could no longer see them anymore, turning back to sit properly on his seat with a huff. Draco and Blaise were sat on the opposite side of the compartment, either looking at him with amusement as Blaise was or nose-deep in the Creature Studies textbook as Draco was.

They had managed to snag a train compartment for themselves relatively near the front of the train, warding the doors shut behind them so that no unwanted visitors could come in. Harry was sure that Ron and Hermione could cope without him for the train ride, they already knew and understood his circumstances, after all.

Bored of the silence already, and happy to get his mind off of the uncomfortable feeling he got from the increasing distance between himself and half of his mates, Harry spoke up. "Draco, when will you have to leave for your Prefect meeting?"

As Head Boy, which hadn't been all that much of a surprise when Draco had told him about his appointment, Draco was expected to have a meeting with the other Prefects and Head Girl before the Sorting Feast, the only time available being the train rise up to Hogwarts. Harry had no idea what they talked about at them, but he knew that Draco's attendance was non-negotiable.

"Already trying to get rid of me, Harry?" Draco tutted teasingly. "It's not for a few hours yet, nearly at the end of the train journey. I'm hoping to keep it short."

A knock on the door had their heads turning. "Harry, you in there, mate?" Ron's voice called from the other side, and Harry watched as his two mates bristled at the nickname.

"Yeah, I'm with Draco and Blaise."

Oh, he hadn't actually told Ron or Hermione about his mates yet. Oops.

With a glance towards the annoyed-looking pair across from him, he opened the door. Ron stood there, Hermione at his side, both staring at him with raised eyebrows. "I can understand Draco, but why are you with Zabini?"

"They're my...mates."

Hermione was in his face then, eyes gleaming. "You've had your mate meeting already, then? I've read up about Creatures ever since you told me what you are. Is it true that Creatures can speak in the native tongue of their beast ancestors?"

"Um, I'm not sure..."

"And how about your Creature form, can you change in and out of it at will, or does it take more than that?"

"Um...at will-"

"Surely there's got to be more to it than that thought, right-"

A form was suddenly in front of him, blocking Hermione from his view. "Granger, if all you're here for is to harass my mate, then leave," Blaise spoke, an annoyed but cordial tinge to his voice.

"I'm only asking questions, Zabini."

"Yes, questions that are personal, and not to be shouted about amongst a train of Wixen. Please refrain from shouting so loudly."

She looked slightly put off at being reprimanded by Blaise, puffing herself up slightly, Head Girl badge shining brightly, but a look at Harry's overwhelmed expression deflated her. "Sorry, Harry. I was just curious, It's such an interesting subject."

"It's fine-"

"It's not just a subject, Granger, it's our life. Please have a bit more respect when asking questions about such things."

" Yes , I get it, I'm sorry. Anyway, can we sit with you? The Prefect meeting isn't until the end of the journey, so there's plenty of time for us to catch up."

Harry smiled, pushing Blaise back to his seat despite his protests. "Yep, I have so much to tell you." He could feel twin glares burning into the back of his head.

Tom & Elian

After waving goodbye to his younger mates as the train departed from the platform, Tom grabbed Elian and apparated them back to the manor, where they began to gather the things they needed for Hogwarts in the Floo room.

Elian tapped him before he could begin packing them into an extension-charmed bag. "You go on through first, I'll make sure that everything's here. There's no rush, anyway, we can come back and grab stuff at any time."

Tom nodded and headed through the Floo. He landed in the Headmaster's office, met with over a hundred pairs of eyes staring down at him, and a particularly annoying set of twinking, blue ones that eyed him with barely concealed fascination and fear.

"Dumbledore." He greeted the man, nodding his head slightly, avoiding eye contact to instead peer around the office he hadn't been in since his Hogwarts days. It had changed a lot, from Dippets minimalistic decor to Dumbledore's cluttered and colourful hovel, and Tom felt uncomfortable just standing in it.

The man stood, clasping his hands together joyfully, rounding his desk to approach him slowly. "Ah, Thomas, my boy! How are you?"

"I am well, thank you for asking, and yourself?" Not that he cared in the slightest about the man, but the politeness that had been pressed into him from a young age by his grandfather, and at an even younger age by the matrons of the orphanage, could not easily be forgotten.

"Yes, yes, well as can be! It is a new year, after all, full of fresh faces with eager eyes, ready to learn all the magic they can! It's such a joy for me to see them all so excited to be here! You'll be joining your mates for the welcoming feast, yes?"

"I will be, as will Elian."

Elian came through the floo then, tripping slightly on thin air, straightening his robes with a slight blush, and sent a disarming smile towards the headmaster. "Headmaster Dumbledore, It is a pleasure to meet you." He held out a hand for him to shake, who met him in the middle with exuberance.

"Ah, you must be young Elian Luwynn, the Prince of the Fae! Yes, I do say it is wonderful to meet you, I haven't yet had the pleasure to meet a Creature-born Fae, and only two other Fae in general, including young Harry before his inheritance." The headmaster babbled, still shaking Elian's hand, who looked uncomfortable as he forcefully tugged himself out of the grip.

"My kind prefer our own company, barring who we choose as mates and our children, of course."

"Of course! Well, that means that It's even more of a pleasure to meet you." He clasped his hands together and smiled at the pair. "Now, would you like to come and see the rooms that have been prepared for you and the rest of your mates?"

"Lead the way."

Dumbledore directed them up to the top floor of Hogwarts, chattering the whole way, both to them and the paintings and ghosts they passed on the way. When they reached the end of the corridor, the wall in front of them suddenly melted away, revealing another passage. "This is where the rooms for Creatures are situated, hidden away for safety due to the treatment of Creatures in more recent centuries. Not many of the rooms are inhabited nowadays, with the massive decline in the younger Creature population ever since the 1600s, so, including yours, only three are occupied."

"Do all the rooms have the same layout and size?" Tom questioned from the back of the trio, eyes wandering the walls, assessing the portraits of nosy Creatures- mainly Veela and Dragonborn and minor species- with a sharp gaze. Elian, on the other hand, seemed unphased at the medieval beauty of the castle's structure, merely curious about the strange man leading them to their rooms. He reminded him slightly of his  ma , Dalina, and her otherwordly, floaty presence- just far less mystical and easier to read. Dumbledore was inexplicitly  ravenous  to be in his presence if the constant twitches of his hands and quick glances sent over his shoulder betrayed anything.

"No, they differ depending on how many people will be living in them and are assigned depending on the size of the mateship. We have assigned one of the larger ones to yours, given that there are five of you. I always knew that Harry was an exceedingly powerful wizard, but I had no idea he'd turn out to be so powerful as to have four powerful mates as a Creature!"

Tom nodded his head. "He is very impressive, we are lucky that he chose us."

"Oh ho, Tom my boy, I would have never expected that from you!" The old man laughed joyfully, turning down one last corridor before stopping. "Here we are! Now, to unlock the door, all that is needed is the password, which can be reset by accessing the ward stone set in the master bedroom. The current password is  chocolate frogs ." The door clicked open at his words, and Dumbledore entered, the pair following him.

The rooms consisted of a large open living room, a kitchen with an island, a main room that was a little smaller than the one at the manor with a matching en suite, and a connecting room the same size as the previous one.

"Is this suitable for you all? If you wish for a larger one, that can be arranged."

"No, this is perfect! Is it connected to the floo network?" Elian asked, eyeing the fireplace.

"Yes, of course! The room was designed with the knowledge that older mates most likely had jobs they needed to access, and it would be inconvenient to have to come to my office every time they needed to get to work. Is there anything else you will be needing? If not, then I must be off, the students will be arriving within a matter of hours."

"No, there's nothing else. Thank you, Headmaster Dumbledore." Elian smiled politely at the man, wanting nothing more than for him to leave so that the rooms would feel safer.

"Oh ho, just call me Albus, my boy. We're all adults here!"

"Albus, then. Thank you for setting this up for us."

"It was no trouble at all! Well, I shall be off, goodbye for now!"

The man left, Elian and Tom relaxing as soon as the door closed behind his back, looking at each other with matching expressions of weariness. "Dumbledore's...a bit much."

Tom snorted.

They began to bring over the furniture they had bought specifically for Hogwarts, although Tom shrunk and brought over the master bedroom's bed as Harry had claimed he would miss it earlier in the morning. The furniture wouldn't be going to waste after Hogwarts, however, it would go to decorating some of the empty rooms around the manor once the year was over. As well as the bedroom, Tom sorted out the kitchen and the bathroom, placing the new pots and pans in their correct cupboards, knives, forks and spoons into their own draw, and even created the beginnings of a junk draw that would surely drive Draco insane.

Elian had also been given lots of books, ornaments and other useful items by his family when they had been informed that he was now mated, which included, but wasn't limited to: A bookshelf with a copy of every book his  da  had thought would be helpful, an ornate desk from his Father that would be transferred to his study after the year, a pile of knitted blankets from his  ma,  ten in total, a greenhouse filled with herbs placed within an expanded suitcase that would be planted in the manor's gardens next year from his mother, and an assortment of other trinkets such as pillows, ornaments and rare foods from his older siblings. Setting up all of this was relegated solely to Elian, so he was kept busy right up until Harry, Draco and Blaise finally arrived.

Harry, Draco and Blaise arrived at Hogwarts at six in the evening, meeting with Tom and Blaise in the corridor outside of the Great Hall after the journey up in the carriages.

"I forgot how long the trip took! Surely It shouldn't take seven hours with magic to get here!"

"The Hogwarts Express, unfortunately, isn't enhanced by magic. There have been calls since my time at Hogwarts to replace the mode of transport, but nothing has changed."

"When did you attend- wait, don't answer that! It was..." Harry looked to his side, working it out in his mind. "The 1940's."

"Late 30's to '40s, yes."

"And they still haven't done anything since then?" 

He scoffed. "Of course, they haven't, the Headmasters of Hogwarts are as stubborn as they come. They won't change a thing unless it's a necessity, which the train isn't, since it works perfectly well."

They entered the group as a hall, and as Harry swerved off to the right to go and sit with his fellow Gryffindors, a hand wrapped itself around the top of his arm. He turned around to fix a questioning glance at Draco, who was biting his lip. "What?"

"I'm not sure that we'll be welcome at the Gryffindor table. Sure, Elian would, but me and Blaise are Slytherins, and Tom's as Slytherin as you can be, so..."

Harry's eyes softened, glancing between the filling Gryffindor table that was glancing at their group with suspicion. He hadn't even thought about that. "Then we can go and sit at the Slytherin table."

"Will that make you uncomfortable, Harry?" Blaise asked with a softer tone than Harry had heard before. He looked at the Slytherin table. It was quieter than the Gryffindor one and looked a little emptier. Those sitting at it were also making a pointed effort not to glance in their direction, although that shouldn't surprise him- one of their greatest alumni was in their midst, after all.

"I'm sure it'll be fine, it's the better option of the two. I doubt the Slyhteirns would do anything to me, whilst I can't really rely on some of those who hold grudges against you in my house." He let them lead him over to the table, those on the end of the bench shuffling over so that they could sit down with space, goggling at them whilst doing so. Blaise sat to his left side, with Draco across from him, Elian sitting next to Draco and Tom closest to the hall doors with him squished in between them.

They continued to chat in quieter voices until the sorting ceremony finally began, and they were hushed into silence. They watched as the newest lot of first years were sorted into their houses- nine for Slytherin, eight for Gryffindor, eight for Ravenclaw and eleven for Hufflepuff- and as the teachers were introduced to them, new and old.

Notably, Harry noticed a wispy-looking man sitting at the end of the high table and stared. He... he'd seen him before, that man had always been at the head table, but why didn't he know his name or take any notice of him beforehand?

Blaise leaned closer to him to be heard over the din of the Hall. "That's the Creature Studies teacher, Professor Marke. I didn't notice him until after my inheritance as well- he's a Fae that specialises in concealment spells."

"Is he nice?"

"He's alright," Elian answered instead from where he was munching on a potato. "Although a bit young to be teaching other creatures about themselves professionally, but I suppose he might have been the only one Dumbledore could get a hold of. He's an Inherited Fae himself, so he might feel less connected to our realm than born Fae are."

Tom snorted, an unusually expressive sound from the man. "It always makes me happy to remember that Creatures view Dumbledore the same way I do- As someone to ignore as best as they can."

Harry glared at him. "Why do you hate Dumbledore so much? He's a good man!"

"He's a good man if you fit into his idealised society, which all of us no longer do. He tolerates Creatures, covets us really, but he's more afraid of our power to treat us as if we are the same as him. When I came into my inheritance, he no longer treated me as a muggle-born or a half-blood, but as the dark Creature that I really am. Which was, with fear, disgust and reverence for my power."

No words would come out of Harry's throat for a minute as he gaped. Finally, he managed to say something. "You're a dark Creature?"

The corner of his lips twitched into a small smile. "Well, I suppose there aren't such distinctions in Creature Society, but to Wizarding Society, Vampires, Werewolves, Dragonborn and more are considered to be dark creatures. The Fae are grey because the Government honestly has no idea what to classify your kind as since you rarely make an appearance. Ah, that reminds me, if anyone comes up to you, asking for an interview or that they wish to discuss your recent Inheritance, reject them and send them to me. As a Fae, the government would do a lot to gain information about the Fair Folk from you, and the same goes for you as well, Elian." Tom's voice turned serious as he looked at them both with serious eyes. "Any of you can come to me for help if you're being hounded, actually. I hold enough political sway for most of it to be suppressed, however."

"Father would sue anyone who attempts to do such as thing, too, And I'm sure Blaise's mother would have something to say."

The heavy atmosphere lifted with Blaise's snort. "Mother would be more likely to rip them to shreds, both figuratively and literally. She's been gushing to me about meeting you all whenever I go and see her."

Elian groaned. "Don't remind me, my da has been hounding me to set up a meeting. I've told him that you're all busy with school starting up, but he won't relent."

With that, the conversation changed to a lighter one, and they headed up to their rooms soon after the feast. Harry marvelled at the discovery of yet another hidden area, it having not even shown up on the map his dad had given him in his third year, too busy with his thoughts to register the many Creature portraits who stared at their group with fascination.

"I changed the password as soon as we arrived, and I believe it's best if we change it at intervals for maximum security. For now, however, the password is  Creature ." The door clicked open, and Tom pushed it, allowing Harry, Blaise and Draco in first to explore.

Harry immediately gravitated towards the sofa in the living room, diving headfirst into the pillows, sighing as he stretched out. 

"Harry, come and see the rest before you fall asleep."

"M'not sleeping!"

Blaise hummed sceptically, sidling up to the sofa and pulling him up gently by his arm despite his protests. Harry went limp in his arms when Blaise made him stand, hearing a tut above his head as he grinned. It was wiped off of his face when he lifted him up into his arms instead, an arm around his waist and one on the back of his head to repress his struggles.

"What do you want to see first, the kitchen?"

"Let me down!"

"The kitchen it is."

"Oi!"

2nd September 1997

The morning was a hectic one, with Blaise and Draco hogging the bathrooms in different intervals, messing about with their hair and clothes, leaving Harry only a scant few minutes to have a quick shower, style his hair to the best of his ability, and get dressed. He managed to do so before the others had even managed to finish packing their bags.

Today at breakfast they would be receiving their timetables for the year, possibly starting their classes today if they were unlucky enough. Harry's five chosen subjects consisted of Charms, Transfiguration, DADA, Potions, which he had chosen before the start of sixth year, and the newly added Creature Studies, all of which he was suitably prepared for; the others hadn't allowed him to be any less than that.

Heading down to the Great Hall, ignoring the nosy portraits on the way once more, they dug into their breakfast. Harry had pancakes with chocolate spread slathered on them stacked in a pile on his plate, and he could feel Elian's disapproving stare burning into the side of his head.

"At least I'm eating breakfast, you know I don't like it."

The Fae breathed out a heavy sigh, stare relenting. "I suppose."

McGonagall came over then, heading for where they where were sat at the end of the table once more, having finished handing out the timetables to the rest of Gryffindor, with his own left in her hands.

She eyed Elian and Tom for a few moments, lingering on the older man with a steely glare, before greeting him stiffly and handing it over, swiftly walking back to the head table without a backward glance.

"She's still as lovely as ever. Glad to know that she hasn't changed one bit." Tom muttered, sipping at his tea as he watched the woman retreat.

"You know McGonagall?"

"We attended Hogwarts at the same time, she is a few years older than me, and always acted like that- as if Slytherins weren't worth her time. I'd blame Dumbledore, but I'm not sure if he has anything to do with it. She's just always been like that from what I've seen."

Harry looked between Tom and McGonagall's retreating form. It was easy to forget that his mate was actually decades older than himself, but, in the grand scheme of things, they were relatively close in age for creatures. Actually, for him to be the same age as both Draco and Blaise, and only a decade younger than Elian, was surprising in the eyes of Creature society. Elder Murr had told him as such when they had said their goodbyes, informing him that it was instinctive for most Submissives to choose the most powerful mates, which were usually those who were older.

Harry thought he had chosen well in that regard- Blaise and Draco were possibly the most powerful wizards in their year, and Tom had told him that back when he attended Hogwarts, he'd been top of his year as well. Elian was a mystery, as he'd been schooled in the Fair Folk Realm and therefore had no one to compare his strength to, but him being his Secondary Dominant spoke for itself.

Blaise and Draco also received their timetables from the sweeping form of Severus Snape, who didn't even glance in his direction, but nodded respectfully to Tom and gave Elian an assessing stare.

"Ugh, that's annoying, I have Arithmancy right after breakfast." Draco tilted his head back, groaning.

"Same here." Blaise sighed, searching through his bag to check that he had the materials needed for the lesson.

"I don't have a class today!" Harry whooped, smiling at the put-out looks he was sent by his mates.

"Then you'll be helping me and Elian sort out the rooms, or perhaps finishing off reading through your textbooks."

"I'd rather help, besides, I've only got Creature Studies tomorrow, and it's for periods five and six. I have plenty of time to read the textbooks."

"I'll hold you to that."

Chapter Text

3rd September 1997- Wednesday

Tom had, in fact, held him to his promise of reviewing his textbooks at a later time, and made him read through the Creature Studies textbook and the rest of the DADA textbook before his first lesson Wednesday afternoon.

He was glad that his first lesson of the year was Creature Studies, as it meant that all of his mates could join him and he'd be able to spend more time with them, at least for this one day.

Walking into the Creature Studies classroom on the sixth floor, Harry was surprised to see so many Creatures within the room. Daphne Greengrass was sitting alone at a table, strange antlers sprouting from her head and green streaks running through her golden hair. Sat on the opposite side of the room, Terry Boot had the scales marking him as a Dragonborn surrounding his eyes, red and bright. Ernie Macmillan had the same but in a lighter shade, sitting at the same table as him. Zacharias Smith, now with pointed ears, looked moody as the woman by his side surrounded him with her Dragonborn wings, and Lavender Brown sat near the back, furry ears poking out of her hair, a beautiful man next to her with his arms wrapped around her waist. With them included, there were twelve of them taking this class.

The eyes of all those in the room turned to them when they made their entrance, causing Harry's hackles to rise at the sudden attention. Brushing in front of him and hiding him from view, Tom lead them to the table in the left-back corner, making sure that he was settled at the end of the table, nearest to the back. The room was silent apart from their rustling as they placed their textbooks and equipment on the table, their stares still heavy.

"They're acting as if they've never seen a Creature before," Draco muttered from his space at Harry's left, leaning back against the wall.

"A mateship this large is pretty rare- I think there are only around ten others in the world that are still ongoing. The average Submissive has one or two mates. At least there's not six of us, that would cause a stir."

Harry groaned, hiding his face in his arms. "I hate attention."

"You've mated the Prince of the Fae and who is essentially the Prince of Slytherin, as well as me, the youngest Boread and Malfoy heir, and Blaise, whose Vampire and Dragonborn ancestors are Noble families."

That had been a shock when Blaise had told them that tidbit of information. Harry was starting to see a pattern with his mates.

"And don't forget that Harry also descends from Noble Fae lines, he isn't slacking in the ancestral department either."

Before Harry could retort, a door at the far side of the classroom opened, and in stepped a man with none of his Creature attributes visible. He looked around the classroom, eyes stopping for a moment on their group, before frowning at Zacharias' mate. 

"Please refrain from displaying your Creature attributes so boldly within such a public space. In this classroom- only the minimum amount is permitted. That goes for the rest of you, as well." He pointedly stared at Greengrass, whose antlers seemed to melt away, the green streaks in her hair lightening until they were only slightly discoloured.

By his other side, Tom had a frown on his face, and Elian looked displeased too, both staring at the man intently.

The Professor walked to the front of the classroom and leaned on his desk with a scowl. "My name is Professor Marke, although you should already know that. You will refer to me as that or as Professor only. There are strict rules you all must follow within my classroom, and yes, that goes for you who are here as mates and not students as well. As I said earlier but will reiterate: only the barest of Creature attributes are allowed to be on show, such as the scales around your eyes as a Dragonborn. Under no circumstances should you release your wings- we are in a school, and there is no danger here that would warrant such a thing. I also expect you to take notes and read the textbook outside and inside the lesson- to succeed, you must be willing to put the effort in. There are to be no overly expressive displays of affection between mates in my classroom, you are Beings, not Beasts. And finally, as a Professor, my word is the law within this space. Now, any questions?" He ignored the raised hands that shot up. "No? good. Now, leave your questionnaires I set as summer work on the table and I will be coming around to collect them when I hand you out the quiz on the first chapter of the textbook."

Elian sat down heavily on the sofa, pen and parchment in hand, slamming them down on the table to begin writing furiously. "He needs to be fired, he should not be the one teaching the next generation of Creatures!"

"I agree, he is not suited for any sort of teaching position." Tom nodded his head, sitting down beside the angry man and sneaking glances at whatever he was writing.

Harry was on the armchair, head in his hands, receiving a soothing backrub from Draco. "I totally did terrible on that test, half of them weren't even in the first chapter- or in the textbook at all!"

Creature Studies, after a painful and awkward couple of hours where they were barely permitted to even speak to each other, had ended only ten minutes ago, and they had fled the room as soon as possible. The test had taken up a large portion of the lesson, and the questions were harder than they were expecting for the first lesson. Even Elian and Tom had received the test, although they weren't expected to hand it in for marking, and had said they wouldn't expect newly inherited Creatures of less than a year to know all the answers, even those raised with the knowledge that they were a Creature.

"It won't matter once I send this letter off." Elian folded it haphazardly, stuffing it into an envelope, and walked over to the perch where his bird- Harry didn't know the species, but he was sure it was a magical one that didn't exist in their dimension- sat, preening itself. "Lea, please deliver this to Nylian, this is a serious matter." The bird squawked, snatched the letter in its claws, and dissolved in a flash of light.

"You're sending it to the Creature Council?"

"My brother, but as a part of the Council, I'm sure he'll bring this up to the rest of them."

"Wait, what did you write?" Harry frowned at his mate, who raised an eyebrow at him.

"That there is a Fae teaching at Hogwarts who is spreading dangerous misinformation to the youngest generation and controlling their actions with malicious intent. He'll be fired, at least, by the end of next week, if not as soon as my brother reads the letter." He explained smugly, and Draco laughed from behind him.

"Isn't that abusing your power as his brother?"

He widened his eyes innocently. "I'm simply reporting a criminal, what's wrong with that? My connection to him simply means that the letter will be on the top of his pile and sorted sooner than usual."

Harry sighed. At least, he wouldn't have to dread further interaction with that horrible man.

They spent the rest of the evening simply soaking in each other's presence and winding down from the righteous anger they felt towards being so dehumanised- Harry supposed- by a man who was supposed to be teaching them more about the world they were now thrust into.

4th September 1997- Thursday

Brightening Harry's mood, the next day, he, Draco and Blaise shared their first Defence Against The Dark Arts Class together, his favourite and the one class he was top in.

Their teacher, Professor Evergreen, was miles better than Professor Marke, and allowed them to talk to one another whilst they were taking notes on the Patronus Charm, a theory-packed lesson since it was the start of the year. Harry, having been able to cast the charm since he was thirteen, was admittedly slacking off, more focused on helping Blaise and Draco than focusing on his own work.

"Psst! Hey, Potter!" A voice hissed from behind him, startling him from his thoughts, and he turned around to be met with the shifty stare of Lavender Brown, who looked uncomfortable but determined to speak to him despite the glares she was receiving from both Draco and Blaise. Draco knew that he and Lavender didn't get along, and Blaise had obviously figured that out from the spats they had had since she and Ron had broken up.

"What?"

"Can we...talk after class?"

Harry's eyebrows rose. Talk? He and Lavender had never simply just  talked . "Sure? What do you want to talk about?"

"Just...stuff. You know..." She made a gesture towards the top of her head, and at his uncomprehensive look, rolled her eyes and flexed her hand, sharp claws replacing her previously perfectly manicured nails. "Creature stuff, duh!"

"Oh, um, yeah, sure. That'd be fine."

"Great!" She quickly turned back to Parvati by her side, which signalled the end of their abrupt conversation.

Harry, feeling confused, turned back around slowly, blinking. " Why would Lavender of all people want to speak to you? Yeah, you're both Creatures and Gryffindors, but that's about it! " Blaise whispered into his ear, and he shrugged in response.

" I'm not sure, I'll find out later. Don't wait up for me when class ends, I doubt I'll be long. "

" That's more reason to wait around. "

" She wants a private conversation, and with your hearing, we won't get that unless you go. "

Blaise huffed, a thin breath of smoke curling out of his mouth, a clear sign of his agitation. Harry waved it away with his hand, raising his eyebrow at his mate, who huffed once more. " Fine, but none of us are going to be happy about it, and you know I'm going to get an earful from Tom for not staying with you. "

After DADA had finally finished, he and Lavender wandered off to a more secluded part of the castle, despite Draco and Blaise's unwillingness to let him go. Once they had stopped, silence reigned for a minute or so, the pair hesitating, never having felt comfortable in the presence of the other. Harry drew in a deep breath, shuffling slightly.

 "So, what did you need?"

Lavender cleared her throat, eyes darting from side to side, surveying the area for others for a few moments, before leaning in and whispering conspiratorily at him. "You're a Submissive too, right?" She blurted out, before curling away, fiddling with her fingers in a hunched position that didn't suit her usually outgoing personality. Harry felt nothing but understanding for the girl in front of him, her expression and shaky voice telling, which allowed him to gain the confidence to speak clearly about the topic he hadn't been allowing himself to think about much.

He smiled hesitantly. "Yes, I am. I only inherited recently, on the 31st of July, so if you're asking for advice, I won't be able to give much, but I'll try."

"Oh, that's, that's fine, you probably know more than I do, anyway." She let out a self-deprecating laugh that tugged on his heartstrings, her eyes lowered to the floor. "I was born on the 17th of August, so I've only known about Creatures for a little over two weeks now, and it's honestly just so-so confusing!" Lavender's voice took on a slightly breathless and overwhelmed tone, eyes tearing up. "My-my parents didn't even realise they were still carriers for Creature blood, and- the man that came round our house wasn't helpful at all! All he did was give me a single book and set up a mate meeting as soon as he could! It had to wait a few days since he said that there was another Submissive still having their mate meeting, which I heard was you and I was so shocked and so grateful for more time, and my mate is trying to be helpful as soon as he realised I had no clue what I was doing but hedoesn'tknowmuchaboutSubmissivessoIthoughtIwouldcomeandseeyouwhenIsawyouintheclassroomyesterday, and- and- this is all just so stupid! I'm so sorry to ask but can you help me?!" She burst into tears, sliding down the wall she had leant on for support during her ramble, and Harry lunged forward to wrap her in a hug, eyes wide as he stared down at her sobbing form.

"Of-of course you can! Lavender, what-"

"Thank you! I-I know you hate me because I dated Ron, but-"

He choked. "What, I don't hate you-"

"I'm just-just so-so overwhelmed, I can't-" Lavender's breath caught in her throat, and she began to breathe deeply, closing her watery eyes, using the sleeve of her robes to wipe the tears off of her face. She let out a shaky breath after a few moments, opening her eyes once more. "You... don't...hate me?" Her voice was so broken and vulnerable that Harry couldn't help but hold her tighter.

"No, not at all, I wouldn't hate you for such a silly thing." She sniffled some more, taking in deep breaths, chest shuddering with the strength of her sobs. After a few minutes, she had finally calmed down enough to hold a stable conversation with him.

"Sorry, It's-it's just...there's so much to say, and I feel like I'm overreacting." She giggled a bit madly, and he joined in on impulse, their slightly hysterical laughs echoing through the abandoned part of the castle.

"That's fine, I was also shocked, it's natural. Your life has changed so abruptly."

"It was just so sudden, we had no idea that there was even still active Creature blood in our line, and my parent's reactions to it didn't help much..." She sniffled a bit. "They're fine now, but going all furry like that was a shock to them as much as it was me. We immediately sent word to the Creature Council about my situation, and they sent a Consultant to talk with us, but he didn't explain anything!" Her tone turned biting, and hugged her a little tighter as she began to shake more. "He wasn't even in our house for more than ten minutes before he left to go and set up my mate meeting! I'll admit that I was glad to find out that there was still an ongoing mate meeting, it gave me time to read through that one book and for my parents to order some more, but it wasn't enough. I practically went into that meeting blind, presented to that crowd like a piece of meat, and the Dominants were all so disgustingly misogynistic that I could have torn their faces off! I'm glad that I found Bradley- my mate, by the way- on the second day, and that he was the only one I needed. For the first few days, we kind of skirted around each other awkwardly, but his mum- and oh, she's an angel!- talked to him and he sat me down so that we could have a proper discussion, where he found out that I knew barely anything. He's been trying to help me out, but he's young himself and only inherited a few years ago, so my situation hasn't changed much." By this point, it was almost like the pair were having a perfectly normal conversation, Lavender growing more lively the more she opened up. They were still cradling each other, although it was now more for comfort than stabilisation. "But, then when I saw you in Creature Studies yesterday and remembered that you are also a Submissive who recently came into an inheritance, I wanted to talk to you about it, even if all we could do was exchange experiences as we go on."

Harry nodded seriously. "Totally, you're also the only other Submissive Creature I've met so far, It'd be helpful for me as well."

She smiled happily, flinging her arms around his neck once more. "Thanks, Harry."

They made their way up to the seventh floor a little while later, making small talk and giggling the whole way, undeterred by the baffled looks being sent their way by others. It felt as if they had been friends for years already. Finally, they had to split ways once they came across the diversion between their rooms, and Lavender lunged at him for another hug which Harry was becoming used to now as a quirk of hers. "Thanks for listening."

"It's no problem, I'm also glad that I can finally talk to someone about all...this."

She giggled happily. "Well, my room isn't too far from here, just down that corridor and then a few turns, so come and talk whenever you like when we're both out of class. The door's a dark oak colour, very hard to miss since the rest are lighter"

He nodded, waving as she happily skipped away down the corridor, whispering the password for the door, before slipping inside. Almost the moment his foot crossed the threshold, Blaise was in front of him, holding him by his shoulders and searching him for any harm, Draco behind him, Tom and Elian sitting on the sofa also with concerned expressions. "What did she want? She didn't say anything nasty to you, did she?"

Harry scowled up at him. "Don't assume. We became friends, actually."

"Just like that?" His tone was uncertain.

"Just like that. She's a likeable person." Draco sent him an unconvinced look, likely remembering the many times he'd had to listen to Harry rant about the girl. "Look, we had a talk, discussed some stuff, and realised that we have a lot of similarities. She's also a Submissive, and wanted some guidance. I told her I was also newly inherited, but am happy to share experiences with her. It might also help me with becoming more comfortable with this situation."

"That's amazing, Harry. I'm happy that you've found someone to talk to." Elian smiled from his seat on the sofa, and Harry's shoulders relaxed from their defensive position. Blaise sighed, but agreed, directing him to also sit on the sofa. "We haven't been doing much since you've been gone, only talking."

"Yeah, and having a go at me and Blaise."

Tom tutted, sending a glare his way. "Of course, despite Harry telling you to go away, I still don't like him being so unprotected." Harry opened his mouth with a scowl, ready to retort. "And yes, I know you are capable, darling, but I have instincts, and these two are obviously much more controlled in that aspect than I am." His admittance lightened the mood, and Harry smiled instead, settling himself down on the sofa. "Did you have any worries, Harry?"

Where had that come from? "Hm?" He hummed questioning, searching Tom's suddenly sullen face.

"You said that talking with Lavender would help you to become more comfortable with 'this situation'. You are feeling uncomfortable." He bluntly stated, staring at Harry with his deep, red eyes, filled with hurt and sorrow.

He shrugged. "Well, yeah. I mean, my inheritance happened so suddenly and unexpectedly that it's understandable that I'm feeling uneasy. It's just general worries that, with time, will lessen. It's fine, Tom, you don't have to worry."

"It's my job as the main protector of this mateship to worry, about all of you. But, I'll take your word for it, Harry. I trust you to know yourself best."

Tom's heartfelt words sent warmth through his body, and Harry smiled gratefully, cuddling further into the corner of the sofa. "Thanks."

5th September 1997- Friday

Transfiguration was the only lesson that he didn't have with either of his mates, on Friday afternoon for periods three and four. Luckily for Harry, Ron and Hermione also took Transfiguration, and he sat with them in the middle of the classroom as was usual.

"How have you been, ma- er- Harry?" Ron stuttered when Harry plonked himself down in the seat next to him, and Harry felt gratitude that he had remembered Harry's aversion to being called 'mate' by anyone that wasn't his mate in a romantic capacity.

"Good, how about you?"

"Great! Been missing you at lunch though, can't you come down sometimes?"

Harry chuckled at his overdramatic pout. "If I can convince Tom, he's quite solitary. Which is strange, since he seems to like being the centre of attention so much."

Ron grimaced. "Ah, it's still so weird that you're mated to a Slytherin, THE Slytherin."

"I'm mated to three of them!"

"You're happy with them, Harry?" Hermione questioned from Ron's other side, where she had a book open in front of her.

"Yeah, it's been great!"

"As long as you're well, Harry, that's all I want for you." That's when McGonagall made her appearance, and their conversation had to cease.

Professor McGonagall was still acting strange towards him despite Tom not being in sight, avoiding picking on him for answers whenever he raised his hand and swiftly walking away after a cursory glance at the progress of his spellwork.

All in all, it was making Harry incredibly frustrated. McGonagall was one of his favourite teachers, yet she was treating him like he didn't exist. Was it really Tom, or was it the fact that he was now a Creature?

Once again, he raised his hand to answer the question, and even Hermione didn't raise her own, having been watching him grow more and more frustrated with the professor. Despite being the one person to raise their hand, Mcgonagall seemed to scan the room and sigh. "No one knows? Well, look through your textbooks, the answer is in there, and I will be picking on someone at random to answer in a minute." She turned around and sat at her desk, ignoring the looks the whole class was sending her.

After the lesson, Harry stormed off, entering the living room where Draco and Blaise were practically on top of each other, looking sheepish and apologetic as they turned his way with his sudden entrance.

Harry stopped, his foul mood swept away, amusement filling him instead at the sight. "Am I interrupting something?"

"Yes-" Was Blaise's grinning answer.

"No, not really, Blaise stole my work." In Draco's hand was a piece of crumpled paper, which he attempted to straighten back out with a frown on his face, giving up and slamming another bit of paper on the table.

"Are you sure? You looked like you were..."

"We were not!" Blaise cackled at Draco's defensive shout, who looked disgruntled to be under speculation.

Harry collapsed on the sofa with a smile still on his face, hands raised in surrender. "Alright, alright." He let his head fall backwards, a sigh escaping him, amusement draining out of him now that his thoughts caught back up with him, tears prickling his eyes. What was wrong with McGonagall? Why was she treating him as if he didn't exist? Harry didn't give in to Draco and Blaise's badgering of his sudden morose mood, simply brooding to himself until Elian made an appearance, and then snuggled into his hold for the rest of the night, ignoring the concerned stares sent his way.

6th September 1997- Saturday

The weekend arrived at the end of the first, strange week back at Hogwarts, and Harry couldn't be any more grateful to spend his free time with his mates and bond. Unfortunately, these plans were derailed when Tom apologetically told them that he had to get back to work, at least for a few hours a day, since his paperwork was beginning to pile up. Elian had stayed up late on a floo call with one of his parents, seriously discussing something with them until the early hours of the morning, so he was still sleeping. That left Harry with Blaise and Draco, who wanted to get their homework done before anything else so that they could 'relax the rest of the weekend.'

In the end, Harry decided to do the only sensible thing, and seek out Lavender, who had given him directions to where she and her mate were staying, a few hallways away from their own room.

He knocked on their door, waiting a few moments as he heard shuffling from behind it, before it was cracked open, Lavender peeking out and widening it quickly. "Harry!"

"I'm bored, so I came to talk. Is that fine?"

"Come in, ah, Bradley is in, too, but don't mind him."

Bradley, who he recognised from Creature Studies, was sat on the sofa, watching him from the corner of his eye, but seemingly pretending to ignore him.

He stood awkwardly by the hallway. "Hi, I'm Harry."

"Bradley."

"Bradley doesn't really like talking to people he doesn't know." Lavender twirled her hair around her finger, giggling awkwardly to fill the silence.

Bradley cleared his throat. "I'll head into the bedroom so you two can sit in here and chat." He stood, heading towards the doorway to the left without a second glance.

"Don't eat all the snacks, and don't eat on the bed either!"

"Alright~"

The door shut. "I bet he's not going to listen to a word I just said." She huffed, pulling him towards the sofa. "So...did you have anything you wanted to talk about?" Harry shrugged, having come here on impulse. "Ok, well, how about we ask each other questions? What Creature are you?"

"I'm a Fae."

"Really?! Woah, that's so cool! I've only heard a little about Fae, but aren't they, like, really powerful?"

"Um, I'm not sure, maybe? I've never seen our power in action."

"I mean as in every aspect, like politically, even here in the Wizarding World, and more so in Creature Society. Even Bradley admires Fae, and he told me that Veela aren't all that keen on other Creatures. I'm a Were-Creature, by the way, a canine type." She gave him vulnerable smile.

"A Were-Creature? I haven't heard of them yet. Do they include Werewolves, or is that something different?"

She looked giddy to finally know something that he didn't. "Oh, we aren't a big species, even less so because we are distinguished from each other into smaller groups depending on what species of Were we are, and since we are minor Creatures, most don't know about us. Werewolves, born ones, are Were-Creatures, but turned Werewolves are not. Its confusing, but Were kind doesn't accept turned Were as a part of our species- besides, born and inherited Were are much different from turned Were. I can tell you more if you'd like?" Harry nodded, always happy to know more about the world he was now a part of. "Um, where to start...We have a relative lifespan of around five hundred years, although there are Were species that can live much longer than that. Most Were's can change their form- into our more animalistic one- at will, which is cool. I haven't tried it yet, but Bradley says he'll help me in the Christmas Holidays if I haven't learnt to do it by will by then. Have you seen your Creature form yet? I came out of mine too quickly after my inheritance to see."

Harry hummed in affirmation. "Yeah, I can show you if you'd like?" She nodded excitedly, and Harry lowered his robes to allow his wings out from the slits in his shirt, feeling his ears elongate, teeth sharpen and nails grow. Lavender's awed gasp made Harry preen, wings fluttering in satisfaction, making the sight even more magical.

The girl sounded breathless when she spoke next, eyes fixated on the twinkling of his wings. "Oh, wow! Harry, you look so... so beautiful!"

"Thanks." He blushed shyly, tucking his wings in but keeping the rest of his Fae attributes on show.

"Woah, I've heard so much about Fae, at least in comparison to a lot of other Creature species, but you look even more mystical than described! Can you fly with your wings?"

"Yeah, I learnt how to recently, one of my mates, Elian, is also a Fae, a Creature-born one."

"Creature-born? Is that what they call Creatures who are born Creatures?"

"And those within three generations of a Creature ancestor. It's a bit confusing, but I guess you just have to go with context clues."

She hummed. "Anyway, I also wanted to talk about the fact that you have four mates. Four! That's...that's insane! I swear I read that there aren't many mateships above three, so the fact that you have four means that you must be insanely powerful!"

He laughed awkwardly, never being one to like hearing himself being talked about in this way, yet he also felt satisfied that his strength was being recognised. "I suppose so, although I have no idea how to use it beyond the spells Hogwarts has taught us."

"It's not just spells, though. I've heard that the major species of Creatures- Fae, Dragonborn, Vampires, Veela and Boreads- all have specific powers in their bloodlines that make them even more powerful, especially in Submissives. It's like nature's way of giving Submissives another way to protect their families.

Harry's mouth formed an 'o' of surprise. Neither the books he had read nor Elian had mentioned anything like that. Although, it did ring a bell, so perhaps he had glanced over it, not thinking much of it in the moment. An extra power? That sounded cool. Being a Creature seemed to have so many perks, Harry was nearly forgetting his apprehension about his Inheritance the more he discovered.

"Lavender." Harry turned his head at the sudden voice, spotting Bradley in the doorway of the room.

"Yes, Bradley?"

He shuffled awkwardly, before fixing his gaze on Harry. "It's getting late, I think it's time for your friend to get going, he has mates that would probably also like to spend time with him tonight." His last sentence was teasing, and Harry blushed, getting to his feet.

"Yeah, I should probably get going."

Lavender smiled, following him to the door with a smile. "Yeah, we can finish off our talk another time." She opened it and Harry stepped out, turning around to give her a hug.

"I enjoyed learning about your kind, Lavender."

"And thanks for listening to me, It was good to talk so freely!"

"Hey, you, boy." A portrait interrupted their goodbyes, Harry turning around to give the painting a questioning look.

"Yes?"

"Your mates have been searching for you for the past half an hour, they've been running the halls looking half crazy."

"What!?" Harry's eyes bugged out of his head and, giving a last quick side hug to Lavender, he sprinted down the hall, the cackles of the portrait following his hasty retreat.

His heart was nearly beating out of his chest as he raced through the corridors, panic filling his mind. He'd forgotten to tell anyone he was going out! Swerving around one last corner, he ran into a hard chest, caught before he could tumble to the floor. Looking up, he met the relieved but disappointed eyes of Elian, which made him flinch.

The Fae pulled him upright, holding onto his shoulders tightly, and Harry could just about make out Tom rounding the corner in the distance, followed closely by Draco and Blaise. "Where were you?!"

"I-I was with Lavender-"

"And where was  that ?" Tom hissed, looking more like the notoriously terrifying man Harry's father had described than ever.

"A few hallways down, in her rooms-"

"You mean to tell me that you, without telling any of us, went into a practically unknown Submissives and Dominants room? How could you be so stupid? Anything could have happened to you!"

"Well, nothing did! I know Lavender-"

"You barely do, and you don't know her Creature side or her mate at all! Did you know that she is a were-Creature, an aggressive species that are incredibly territorial, and her mate is a Veela, a species well known for not liking many other species at all-"

"I know that! Stop treating me like a child, I am an adult that can make my own choices!"

"Stupid ones that could have resulted in you being harmed or  worse .

The least you could have done was left a note so that we didn't spend the past half an hour running about Hogwarts, thinking the worst had happened!"

"Well, I didn't, okay? I forgot, and I'm sorry-"

"Sorry isn't good enough, you should have told one of us before you left-"

Harry gritted his teeth, his temper flaring. "Stop treating me  like a child! I am your mate! " With that, he turned sharply on his heel, pushing open the door of their room after a harsh whisper of its password, heading into the bedroom and slamming the door in Tom's face.

He sat down on the bed, put his head into his arms, and screamed his frustration into them.

7th September 1997- Sunday

Harry awoke the next morning to the smell of burning. He shot out of the bed, eyes almost swollen shut still, and barely managed to wrench the door handle open, wand in hand. He stumbled to where the burning smell and smoke were billowing from, met with the sight of three frantic mates- Elian, Draco and Blaise- attempting to put a fire in a saucepan out as Tom watched them from the Island.

Their heads snapped up as he entered. "Harry!"

"Harry, help!"

"What happened?! Why's the pan on fire?!"

"I, um, I wanted to make you breakfast. To cheer you up..."

"Your sleeve!" Draco shouted, and the Fae yelped as the fire ate at the cloth, shoving his hand under the tap. Before the pan could get shoved under it too, Harry grabbed it and extinguished the fire with a spell. The sound of heavy panting and the sizzling of the remnants of whatever concoction Elian was cooking up filled the room, before Harry snorted, slapping a hand over his mouth to muffle it.

"What's so funny?" Elian whined a fake put-out expression on his face that made the situation even more hilarious to him.

Harry peered once more into the pan. It was a blackened mess, odd lumpy bits floating about in a strange liquid, burbling strangely even off of the heat. "What-" Harry choked on his laughter. "What even is that?"

"Scrambled egg. I thought it was supposed to be simple to make, but then it caught on fire!" Harry chuckled some more, putting the pan on the side.

Draco peered into the charcoal mess and grimaced. "Why's there eggshells still in it? Are they eggshells?"

Elian's eyebrow rose. "They add to the experience." Draco gagged, rushing to the sink.

Whilst Elian and Draco were arguing about how to cook eggs, or how  not  to cook them, Blaise an amused spectator, Harry dragged Tom away to a more private area so that they could talk in peace.

He chose the living room, noting the strewn-about blankets and pillows dotted around, feeling ashamed and sorry that he had forced them to sleep on the sofa and floor the previous night. Harry drew in a deep breath, steeling himself. "I'm sorry that I worried you all, and went off without telling any of you."

Tom sighed, turning towards him with a soft expression. "And I'm sorry for treating you like a child. You're an adult in your own right, you shouldn't have to tell any of us where you're going. Just...It'd be nice to know that you're going out, at least, if you don't want to tell us where. It alleviates the worry that you may have been kidnapped- which you may think is unfounded, but Fae are rare, and you are a male Submissive, there's no telling what people would do to get to you." 

Harry nodded. "I get that, I really do, Tom, but this is all just so new to me, you've got to understand my side of things. But, I'll remember what you've said."

Tom smiled softly, his red eyes taking on a less vibrant shade in his fond state. "That's all I ask."

They headed down to breakfast, leaving Elian's attempt at breakfast in the sink to soak, making their appearance after a couple of days of no-show in the great hall. They settled themselves at the end of the table, there once more being a chunk of space cleared as if it was a purposeful action by the rest of the Slytherins, and dug into their breakfast.

It was whilst his face was stuffed with toast that Draco nudged him harshly in the side, gesturing for him to look. Marching over to Slytherin's table was Liana, closely followed by an anxious-looking Daisy.

Oh, Merlin, he hadn't talked to his sisters yet.

Stopping at the end of the table with her hands on her hips, Liana huffed at him with a glare that had Harry shrinking. " Harry ."

From his space behind the larger figure of Draco, Harry waved as cheerfully as he could muster in this situation. "Liana, Daisy! How has your first week at Hogwarts been?" This he directed at Daisy, trying to change the conversation, but his sister simply shuffled, allowing her older one to step in front of her and fix him with a disapproving look.

"You'd know if you had actually decided to speak to us in the last few days. What the hell, Harry?"

"Sorry."

She huffed again. "I know you've had a lot going on recently, but I was really looking forward to talking more with you after your inheritance, I've barely seen you since your birthday, and Daisy has been struggling with starting Hogwarts."

This alighted his brotherly instincts, and he turned to Daisy with an intense look in his eyes. "What's wrong? Is someone being mean to you? Are you struggling with homework or classwork?"

She seemed to shrink into herself some more, a far cry from her usual, confident self that could stand in front of Remus and demand he does what she says. " Nothing. "

"Oh, don't be like that." Liana scolded, ruffling her hair. "She's just feeling a bit lost, it's a big change from being homeschooled. I've had enough of her moping, so I'm hoping you have an idea on how to cheer her up."

Harry thought hard for a few moments, ignoring how Daisy turned to Liana with a betrayed stare and began swatting at her. What could cheer up his- ah.

"How about something for the both of you? Have either of you ever heard of the Room of Requirement?"

Lia's eyes began to twinkle, and she leaned forward eagerly. "THE Room of Requirement? The one you and Dad talk of all the time? You're going to show us where it is?"

"Oh, really?!" Daisy bounced on the balls of her feet, looking at him intently.

"Sure. But! You must tell  no one . Got it?"

He received eager nods in return, ignoring the looks he was getting from his mates- Draco and Blaise resigned, Elian as equally excited as his sister's even though he had never heard of the place, and Tom intrigued.

In the evening, after a day of mock battles in the Room of Requirement, a letter from Elian's brother, Nylian, arrived. It contained word that Professor Marke had been arrested by the Creature's version of Auror's for 'spreading dangerous misinformation to the vulnerable young Creatures under his care' and removed from his post as the Creature Studies Professor. The Council had sent in a replacement until Dumbledore could find somebody else, approved by them, but it didn't look as if there would ever be a replacement, given how much difficulty Dumbledore had finding a teacher the first time.

There was also a section in the letter where his brother had gone off a tangent about how his little brother 'was all grown up now' and was finally 'taking an interest in adult matters' that made Elian blush up to the tips of his pointed ears as Blaise goaded him, earning the other man a harsh shove off of the sofa.

"I can't believe that got sorted so quickly, and easily," Harry commented as he was reading the letter over Elian's shoulder.

"It was a Creature matter, not a Wizarding one, that's why. The Ministry of Magic is notorious for taking its time, and even for avoiding matters such as these. But, since only Creatures were being taught by Professor Marke, it fell under the sole jurisdiction of the Creature Council instead, who actually care about their citizens. Hopefully, this new teacher will be a better one, especially since they aren't hired by Dumbledore."

Chapter Text

8th September 1997- Monday

Harry, alike every other sane person in the world, hated mornings,  Monday  mornings in particular. It was criminal to want to wake up, especially when it meant he would have to soon face the stares and whispers that followed him in the hallways, both aimed at his Creature status and at  Harry Potter , heir of two Ancient Houses.

Which was why, despite the fact that his Charms lesson began in just fifteen minutes, he was still in bed, much to the chagrin of his mates. He cracked his eyes open grudgingly when he once again felt the nervous and irritated presence of Blaise hovering over him, grunting up at his mate who looked seconds away from snapping. "Harry, please, we're going to be late!" Blaise begged, and Harry allowed a few seconds for the words to sink in, before he grumbled and snuggled further into the warmth of the covers, closing his eyes again.

"Just leave me behind, I'm not stopping you."

Blaise clicked his tongue. "I don't have the time for this, up!" Unexpectedly, he threw the cover- large enough to cover all five of them easily- to the end of the bed, and Harry scrunched up, shouting at the offence. The cold air attacked him brutally, and goosebumps pimpled his skin seconds after the sudden exposure.

"Hey!" Harry groaned, squinting his eyes up at his mate, who stood at the side of the bed with his hands on his hips, eyebrows drawn together in impatience.

"Get dressed, we only have fourteen minutes! I will not start off this year with a detention!" Blaise then darted out of the room, and rustling could be heard in the living room, along with murmured voices.

With a huff, he pushed himself up and stared around their room with bleary eyes. The dominant colour- dark blue, so that there were no arguments about whether it should be red or green- was easy on his eyes, and the bed canopy blocked out the worst of the sunshine coming in through the open windows. Harry clambered out of the high bed with a sigh, shuffling to the edge and dropping off the last few inches. Apparently, a higher-than-average bed was a necessity for them- he, Elian, Blaise and Draco were all Creatures descended from Creatures who had originally lived in high places, so it was reasonable to suggest that they felt safer sleeping in an elevated area.

If Harry was being honest, he couldn't tell that there was a difference.

Shuffling around the room, it took him less than four minutes to get ready- one of those minutes spent sitting on the edge of his bed, reorientating himself to the wakeful world- and once done, hurried out of the room, receiving his bag to his chest the moment he entered the living room.

"Don't forget your shoes!" Blaise was already heading out of the door by the time he registered his surroundings- three amused mates sitting on the sofa, a small assortment of breakfast items covering the table in front of them- and Harry scrambled for his shoes, not bothering to tie them in his haste. He grabbed a croissant as he passed the table, and hastened after his mate.

"Wait up!"

Despite Harry's protest that he was 'quite capable of finding Draco by himself, thanks', Blaise still followed him to the dungeons, guiding him to his Potions class for his own peace of mind, waving goodbye once his other mate was in sight. Harry rolled his eyes as the pair exchanged glances, and Draco swung his arm over his shoulders, an uncommon gesture that the other was beginning to grow more comfortable with, despite his protests that it was too 'casual'.

"How was your Charms lesson? Did you get there in time?"

"Fine, we got in with a couple of minutes to spare, but Flitwick didn't even start the lesson for another five."

"Blaise is very serious about education, you know he wants to get the best results, and the best job possible." Draco grinned. "He used to drag me out of the bathroom to get to lessons on time, not that I was ever purposefully late, of course."

Dead on time, the door to their classroom swung open, and Snape leered in the doorway, almost sneering down at them even though the majority of the class was the same height or even taller than the man. "Come in. Sit down- quietly!- and don't touch anything until I say to do so." He turned, robe swishing dramatically behind him, and stood at the front, watching intently as they entered, beginning the lesson as soon as the last person took their seat.

Snape, as usual, ignored his existence, which Harry was grateful for. He was also grateful for his mate's prowess in the art of potion making, since he was decidedly, painfully average at it, even accident-prone at times.

"Crush it, don't chop it!" Draco grabbed his wrist as he began to slice the ingredient on the chopping board.

Harry frowned in confusion. "But the board says chop it?"

"Trust me on this, I know what I'm doing. Tom let me look through his notebooks on potions, and I trust that anything he has in there is the correct way of doing things. Apparently, it's supposed to make the end result more potent."

Harry gave him a look, before twisting the knife around to press the flat side on the ingredient. "If you say so-"

"Potter, what are you doing?" A drawl from the side startled him, and he turned to face Snape, who was sneering nastily at him. "Does the board say to crush it, you insipid fool?"

Harry's jaw worked, ears turning hot and red at the scrutiny. "Draco-"

Draco cut in, slightly pushing in front of him to shield him from Snape's harsh stare. "I told him to, Professor. Our mate, Thomas Slytherin, told me that this is the more effective way of preparing this ingredient."

Snape's lip curled. "Oh, yes, your  mate . Well, carry on then, if it has been approved by  him ." He turned dramatically, marching instead towards another table to criticise them for their 'horrific attempt at potion making, you'll never pass your final exams with such subpar talent.'

Harry huffed, turning to face Draco with a hardened expression. " Stupid bat. "

" Careful, you don't want to be getting a detention. "

"Detention, Mr Boot, Mr Goldstein!"

They jumped at Snape's harsh, spitting tone, turning around to spot a shamefaced Boot and Goldstein, several steps away from their overflowing cauldron which was filled with an orange-coloured gloop when they were supposed to achieve a blue.

"How imbecilic, there are clear instructions on the board, it takes an idiot to accomplish what you have! Clean it out, and don't think to start again, you will be receiving an automatic fail for this potion. I expect you back here at 7 pm sharp." He spat, hovering over the pair of them, looking furious. Boot's expression was darkening, the scales surrounding his eyes becoming a darker red and more pronounced, a slight, menacing growl beginning to rumble within his chest. Goldstein by his side took a step back, wary, but it only seemed to rile up Snape further. "Look at you, going feral over some criticising, how  pathetic . I've told Dumbledore again and again that it is dangerous to have  your kind  in here, any Creatures are a threat, but the fool doesn't listen, and I have to deal with-"

" Shut up! "

"Boot!" Draco was gone from his side in a flash, intercepting Boot's lunge at Snape, who stumbled backwards, slightly pale, a disgusted and furious expression on his face.

"You don't understand anything,  Snape ! Who are you to judge us, you, who rots away here in this dungeon, bullying children-"

" How dare you, vile, filthy- "

Draco's wings flared, gasps filling the room, as he pushed Boot back, restraining him against the wall. "Boot, listen to me-"

"Let me go, Malfoy-!"

" Listen to me! " He hissed, and Harry sat upright. That, what was that? It sounded foreign to his ears, yet he could perfectly understand it. " Go back to your rooms, calm down, and inform whoever you must. Don't argue with him, it will not bode well for you. There is less than a year left, this will be a small blip in your life, let it go! " 

In his arms, Boot seemed to deflate, and Draco's wings tucked themselves back under his robe as well, both of them ignoring the threats Snape was still sending Boot's way. He gave Draco a nod, before turning on his heel and storming out the door, slamming it behind him.

"Boot, how dare- Malfoy! What did you say to him?" Snape turned his dark eyes on Draco, looking ruffled.

"I told him to head to his dorms and cool off, professor. If I hadn't, things could have gotten violent."

Snape practically snarled. "He lunged at me-" He stopped, looking around the room then, taking in all the eyes fixed on him and his every move, emotions bare to see on his face. "I will be seeing the headmaster about this incident." He raised his wand, and a slight wave rippled over each of the potions. " Class is dismissed. "

He stormed out of the classroom, the entire class falling into silence, before the whispers began, sly and assessing looks sent Draco's way as he made his way back to Harry, setting them both on edge despite the fact that the remainder of the class wasn't Creatures.

"What was that?" Harry whispered into Draco's ear as he came to stand by his side, eyeing his shifting form.

"Boot obviously got a little riled, and I reacted on instinct, more to calm him down before he could cause potential harm in the vicinity of you if nothing else. That was... Snape seemed..." Draco gulped, and Harry knew he was taking Snape's derogatory view of Creature hard, the man being a close family friend. Even Harry felt put off- his mum had told him that she and Snape used to be good friends when they were young until he joined the wrong crowd- so to hear that from the man's mouth was a startling contrast to the boy his mum had fondly reminisced about.

"Let's get back to the rooms, hm?" Harry grabbed the Boread's arm, dragging him out of the classroom whilst ignoring the stares.

"What happened?" Tom was on them as soon as they entered, standing from the desk on the right side of the living room, and Blaise also made an appearance from the kitchen. The sound of the shower suddenly cutting off revealed where Elian was. "You smell distressed."

The sound of the bathroom door slamming open startled them all, Draco and Tom shuffling so that they were in front of him on instinct, and a practically naked Fae charged into the room, dripping water droplets onto the floor and nearly slipping in his haste. "What's the matter?!"

Tom let an irritated huff through his nose and turned back around. "Draco?"

"Snape just had a standoff with Boot, who's a Dragonborn, in our potions lesson-" There was a growl from Blaise's direction. "And Boot got so offended that he lunged at him, so I had to restrain him before a fight could happen. He calmed down with a bit of talking, and he's gone to his room to calm down, but Snape has gone to the headmaster to discuss what happened."

"Snape called us a  threat ." Harry spat. "Filthy, and vile! No wonder he got upset!"

"He said  what ?" Tom's words were almost a hiss, and he glided closer to Harry with a glare marring his features. Harry felt his heart skip a beat in fear, but knowing his ire was not actually directed towards him, repeated himself. Tom's expression grew darker. "If you'll excuse me for a moment?"

"Tom?"

He sent Harry a small smile, marred by its barely veiled ruthlessness. "I'm just going to sort something out. Not to worry, Harry. Severus is a Creature himself, after all. What he said is rather hypocritical."

"What...Where are you going?"

"To the headmaster's office, to have a little  chat  with them both on the actions of a Professor towards his own students." He exited after that, leaving them to stand around, confused.

As a precaution, Dumbledore had given both Tom and Elian the password to his office, which would would depending on whether the Headmaster was present or not. Of course, since the old man trusted Tom as far as he could throw him, and had known Elian for only around a week, the only reason it allowed him up was that the Headmaster was in.

"Cherry Bakewell." He muttered, eyes darting around the corridor to make sure he wasn't being watched, and when the stairs appeared after a few seconds, he began to clamber them with haste. He came to a stop outside of the office door when he heard shouting from behind it.

" -It is disgraceful, Headmaster! Stop insisting that I allow this to pass without severe punishment. He should be expelled- "

" You were a young Creature, prone to violent outbursts once too, Severus. "

" He tried to attack me! "

Tom pushed open the door confidently, stepping inside and meeting both men's eyes with a closed expression. Snape looked surprised, straightening up from where he had been aggressively leaning over the desk, his sneer wiped off of his face. Dumbledore looked expectant, having known of his presence and approach- he wouldn't have been able to enter the office otherwise.

"Good afternoon, Headmaster Dumbledore, Professor Snape."

"Tom, my boy, what a surprise to see you!" Dumbledore clasped his hands together, eyes sparkling. "If I may ask, what are you here for? Is there anything I can do for you?"

"As a matter of fact, there is."

Snape shifted. "I will be taking my leave, then-"

"No, this discussion involves you, Snape. After all, it is a conversation about the well-being of the Creature's in this school, which includes you. Are you willing to listen, Dumbledore?"

Dumbledore's blue eyes hardened, and he steepled his fingers, face serious. "Of course, if it is something that will benefit my students, I'm willing to listen."

When Tom arrived back in the rooms later on, he was radiating smugness, and all he could reveal was that Boot was no longer in any trouble and that Snape would no longer be so rash in his words towards the more reactive of his students- mainly, the Creatures.

10th September 1997- Wednesday

When they walked into Creature studies on Wednesday, it was to the sight of an empty classroom, barring the woman at the front of the room. She had bright red hair, probably dyed, and soft brown eyes with muted yellow scales surrounding them and brushing her cheekbones, similar coloured Dragon wings trailing behind her seated form. Her clothes were eccentric and equally as bright as her hair, illuminating her in the dull light of the classroom. Noticing their presence, she looked up from the files in front of her, eyes widening, and smiled.

"Hello, there! You must be Harry Potter," She looked at him directly, then shifted her eyes to look at his mates. "Thomas Slytherin, Draco Malfoy, Blaise Zabini and Elian Luwynn." She correctly identified each of them as well, almost sounding worshipful of their surnames, which weirded Harry out slightly. "My, I never thought I'd see such a diverse and prestigious Mateship! I am your new Professor, Hawthorn Hendrix. It's a pleasure to make your acquaintance." Professor Hendrix held out her hand to Harry then, and he shook it, smiling hesitantly at her authentic enthusiasm.

"It's nice to meet you, too."

"Oh, aren't you a darling? Now, ignore all the rules that your previous Professor enforced, sit wherever you like, and I'll be beginning the lesson as soon as the others arrive. I've been informed that we have a new addition today, as Mr Smith has chosen a new mate, how exciting!" She shook hands with the rest of them, before heading back to her desk, her jovial mood disappearing as soon as she began scouring the files once more, a frown marring her features.

Harry turned to give a perplexed look at his mates, noting their similar expressions and headed for the same table they had occupied previously. The layout of the room was a little different, with more space in between each table, and cabinets added whereas previously, the room was quite bare, almost as if Professor Marke had been predicting his short stay. The chairs also now contained cushions, and the tables had items covering them- a pot of pens, a stack of notebooks, a pile of parchment and a pot of glass stones. Harry took this in with interest, sitting at the end seat as he had done previously.

Slowly, as the clock ticked closer to the start, more trickled in, and Lavender and her mate entered last, passing by their table with a smile.

Noting that everyone was present, Professor Hendrix discarded the paper in her hands and stood up with a welcoming smile. "Hello everybody, I am your Creature Studies Professor for the foreseeable future, Professor Hendrix. It's lovely to meet you all, despite how that has come about. I was assigned by the Creature Council due to the gross incompetence of your ex-Professor, Phillius Marke, who is now under investigation for the negligence shown towards you, the next generation of Creatures." She paused here, a serious expression shadowing her features. "Now, I have looked through the questionnaires you were assigned for your summer work, as well as the test you took about the textbook you were assigned, and I would like for you to take another one due to some missing information that I find essential to assist you as best I can. I am also to relay that you will be needing another textbook, which will be sent to you by the Creature Council, due to the misconceptions and falsehoods within your current one. If you hadn't noticed by now, I am a Dragonborn, and at over a thousand years old, I am qualified to teach you, the newest generation of Creatures coming through. Our Council is very strict with the standards of their teachers, and we must go through vigorous testing, welfare checks and meetings to qualify to teach. Therefore, you can rest assured that I am capable of teaching you. Now, any questions?"

Three hands went up, from Lavender, Smith's mate, and Draco.

"What is your question? Yes, you." She pointed to Lavender. "What's your name?"

"Lavender Brown."

Hendrix seemed to soften. "Ah, the most recently inherited of our group. Please, ask me anything you want."

"Um, I wanted to ask, there are a lot of mentions within the books I have read of Major Creatures and Minor Creatures. What are the differences between these?"

"The Major Creatures, Dragonborn, Fae, Vampires, Boreads and Veela's, are the strongest of all Creature species and are widely reckoned to be the progenitor species of all other Creatures, both reasons as to why they have a title such as that. Minor Creatures, on the other hand, can all be traced back as being descended from one of the Major Species, and are therefore considered a second generation of evolution. That is the main difference between the two. Is there anything else you would like me to add?" Lavender shook her head, so the Professor moved on. "And how about you, Mr Malfoy?" She turned to face Draco, and he drew himself up at the attention.

"I've heard about the gatherings that are held, but can you explain them in a bit more detail?" Draco asked, and Harry rolled his eyes at his fixation on society and politicking. They'd already been through this, but his mate seemed to want to know the gatherings inside and out, and Harry knew that they'd be making an appearance at all of them by Draco's request.

"Ah, the gatherings, yes, they are a very interesting part of our culture. There are many different gatherings held- public ones, those that request an invite, and finally private ones held by families and such. I assume you have heard of the main gathering? You will all receive a blanket invite for this bi-annual gathering once it comes around next, for you, your mates, and a select amount of your children, usually two per mate. All Creatures, from all over the world, are invited unless there are specific circumstances barring them from attending. It is held in June every two years, over the course of two days, and there is a space for everyone within the Halls, so don't worry about crowding."

"Do these private gatherings also take place within the Council Halls?"

She nodded. "They can, if the organiser rents it out, but most prefer to hold them within their own homes for more intimate events."

"Thank you for answering."

The Professor smiled. "You are very polite, it's refreshing compared to many young Dominants that I come across nowadays. And, finally, Ms Owens, what was your question?"

Smith's first mate, who Harry now knew as Owens spoke up last. "My mate wished to know more about the Councils of our society." Her voice was soft and bright, a contrast to her muscled build and no-nonsense stare.

"The first Council, and that of the highest status, is the Council of Creatures, compromised of a range of different species, mostly those of Elder or Ancient status. It holds the power to create and uphold laws, and is the first place to contact when you are in dire need of legal help or knowledge, such as when you are first inherited. The second Council is that of the Ancients, containing only those over the age of ten thousand. There are only four of these such councils, one for each of the Creature species who have the lifespan to get to that age, Dragonborn, Fae, Vampires and Boreads. Its main purpose is to hold knowledge and pass it on to future generations, as well as serve as the role of a guide for Elders and fellow Ancients. The third is the Council of Elders, in which there is one for each of the Major Creature Species, despite Veela's differing definition of an Elder, and a mixed one that represents the Minor creatures. This Council's purpose is to help those in need, for the lowest level laws and general knowledge. I am to inform you that if you have any further questions that you don't wish to speak about in person, you may contact the council that corresponds with your species with relative ease- the higher the Council, the less likely you are to contact them unless it concerns their role."

She turned to Smith next to her, eyes softening. "Is that all you wanted to know?" Smith shrugged, then nodded his head when the woman didn't turn away. "Yes, that's all. Thank you."

"You're very welcome. Now, that we have gotten these questions out of the way, I will be handing out a questionnaire that the Council have approved. A lot of them simply require you to tick an answer you feel most suits your position, but others will require a sentence or two." With a flick of her wrist, she sent the papers on her desk flying around the room and landing in front of each student. Harry peered down at the thick booklet with horror. "Please begin as soon as possible, I am afraid it is quite lengthy."

He flipped open the booklet and began to answer on the information on the first page.

Name: Harry Potter

Date of Birth: 31/07/80

Species: Fae

Classification: Submissive

Section 1- Choose one option that fits your experience of your introduction to Creature Society by your Consultant:

-My introduction to Creature Society was Satisfactory /

-My introduction to Creature Society was Moderate

-My introduction to Creature Society was Insufficient

-I am a Creature-born, and therefore, this is not applicable

Section 2- If your experience was less than expected, please write here what you felt was missing:

Harry left this area blank, and moved on to the next, ticking and crossing boxes, writing out the odd short sentence that was required for a further opinion, and he finally finished after the fiftieth question.

Breathing out a sigh of relief, he placed down his quill and rolled his sore wrist, grimacing at the stiffness.

"Finished?" Elian asked, and Harry looked up to meet his shining gold eyes.

"Yeah, you?"

He hummed. "Nearly, but there's a lot to write. I missed out on a few that I need to go back on." Yet he didn't turn back to the paper, simply content to watch Harry whilst twirling a quill between his fingers.

Harry cleared his throat, blushing slightly under his intense stare. "Well, is there any way I can help with those? Not that I think I know more than you would, but just to help, you know?" He rambled slightly, and Elian let out a quiet, tinkling laugh.

"I know, sweet. Thanks for the offer, but I've got it handled." He sent him a wink, before finally turning back to his booklet, leaving Harry to internally shriek at the nickname.

He felt his face heat up even more, and the snorts from Draco and Blaise didn't help his composure.

19th September 1997- Friday

For Hermione's eighteenth birthday, Harry had prepared his gift months in advance, building it up with more things as time passed, until finally, when the big day arrived, he could gift it all to her.

Raised with muggles for the majority of her life, Hermione still held onto the notion that her eighteenth birthday was a special one, so Harry, who had been raised under his mum's influence, and Ron, who embraced Hermione's other world with curiosity, were going to make it as memorable as she had always wanted.

"Harry, you didn't have to!" Hermione blushed as she walked into the room, and met with the sight of the pile he had acquired.

"I wanted to, It's your eighteenth, it's a special day!" He smiled, leading her to her present, Ron following behind with an awed smile. He had already given Hermione her gift, a necklace he had been saving up for and the latest book from her favourite author, which his girlfriend had loved if the way she twiddled the red gem between her fingers showed anything.

"How many books did you get me?"

"Enough for you to finally start your own personal library, and to hopefully keep you occupied until your next birthday." He shrugged, grinning happily at her awed stare.

She turned around, frizzy hair swinging wildly, and launched herself into his arms. "Thanks, Harry. And thank you, Ron. This is amazing!"

24th September 1997- Wednesday

Harry fidgeted, shifting on his seat, his movements twitchy, head swivelling to take in the room with suspicion and wariness. The atmosphere of the room felt off, more threatening and open than previously, even with his mates surrounding him to protect him from the other Creatures in the room.

To his right, Tom was watching his movements with an intense expression, eyeing as he narrowed his eyes at Greengrass as she moved, a growl rumbling from his chest, surprising Draco who turned to him with a raised eyebrow.

"You ok, Harry?"

He didn't turn to him, instead continuing to survey the room with a huff, his lip raised up into a snarl.

"Har-"

"Leave him, Draco. He's feeling threatened."

Draco's eyebrows lifted. "About what?" He asked in an incredulous voice that drew a huff from Harry, his eyes squinting before his gaze turned back to the classroom at large.

Tom simply continued to watch Harry, tilting his head slightly to the side, looking like a predator fixated on its prey. Harry stiffened under his watchful gaze and drew himself up, avoiding eye contact with his mate.

"I have an idea, but it can wait until we are back in our rooms." He vaguely answered, drawing sighs from the two youngest Dominants. Elian, however, was also staring at Harry, although with less clarity than Tom.

Harry was on the side as soon as he entered the room, climbing it with a ravenous hunger to yank open the cupboards filled with food, grabbing a box of crackers and ripping them open to stuff his face.

The sound of a bag dropping on the carpeted floor drew his attention, and he turned his head, mouth stuffed full of food. "What  are  you doing?!"

He let a growl rumble in his chest at the tone. "Eating."

Draco's mouth opened and closed for a few seconds before he choked out: "I can...see that. But, do you have to eat like an animal?"

Harry interpreted that as his mate attempting to take his food away from him, so with a shifty look towards the bedroom door, he leapt from the side, gaining a shout from Blaise, and sprinted into the room, shutting the door behind him. He sat in front of it, ignoring the knocks and words, and continued to eat.

"Harry, how are you feeling?" Blaise pressed a hand to his forehead, checking his temperature, and Harry leaned into his cool palm. He simply hummed in response, enjoying the chilly touch.

They were sitting down in the living room, Harry having abandoned the bedroom once the box of crackers had been emptied and he needed water. He had been captured in the tight hold of Blaise and dragged towards the sofa, snarling playfully up at his mate who indulged him in a round of wrestling before they settled into the corner in a contented pile. Draco had squished himself up close against his other side once the roughhousing was clearly over, leaving Elian and Tom to sit on the opposite sofa, staring amusedly at the tree trying to fuse themselves into one person.

Elian cleared his throat, still with a soft smile on his face, but his eyes were serious. "Harry, this is important for you to answer, verbally. How are you feeling? Any hotness, any feelings of violence or uncomfortableness?"

Harry hummed once more, thinking his words over in his sluggish mind. He felt...fine. But, looking back at the day, he had felt those things. When he had woken up this morning, he had felt hot. Whist in Creature Studies, he had wanted to hurt all the other Creatures in the room, apart from his mates, for daring to be so near him. And his stomach had been clenching the whole day, only settling once he was in the arms of one or more of his mates. He relayed all this to his mates, and Blaise seemed to tense next to him, whilst Elian and Tom seemed to have expected it.

"I believe that this could be a sign, a clear sign, of... your upcoming heat being imminent," Tom explained gently, and he also tensed.

" What ?"

"Increased appetite for high-energy foods, increased anxiousness, increased feelings of violence, cramping, all signs that point towards a Submissives heat coming closer."

His mind short-circuited as he tried to take in the information. "But...but it hasn't even been two months since I inherited?!"

"Heat cycles can be anything, recorded from as little as three weeks to over five hundred years, but once it hits for the first time, that is your heat cycle. Depending on if the Submissive in question is pregnant after that heat, and the recovery period they give birth, or simply the recovery period after a heat until the next cycle begins, this time span can be lengthened, but still, that heat cycle is set in stone once it begins. Therefore, it is possible that your cycle could be as little as two months. We need to begin preparing for it to hit if I am reading these signs properly."

He drew back. "I'm-I'm not ready. I..."

Elian looked sympathetic. "Heat cycles, unfortunately, don't take into account the feelings of the people experiencing them. I'm sorry, Harry, but... we'll just have to try and help you feel prepared for it as best as we can."

27th September 1997- Saturday

His little brother, tiny little Dylan, was finally three, and Harry felt sad that, once again, he couldn't spend the special day with him. Especially now that he might have a chance of remembering his and their sisters' absence. Fortunately, this was his last year at Hogwarts, but he had already missed the first three birthdays of his one and only brother.

However, with his Creature Inheritance, no matter how many disadvantages came with it, there were also some liberties. One of them being access to a floo connection that could invite people in, with the express permission of the Headmaster, who happened to be a family friend that was all too happy to allow his mum in with his little brother when he asked.

Therefore, for the first time, Harry got to see his brother on his birthday. His mum, who had the day off, came through the floo after breakfast, carrying Dylan in her arms, who was babbling contentedly into her shoulder.

"Ha-ey!" Dylan shouted as he spotted him, wiggling within their Mum's arms, making demanding noises as she chuckled and placed him on the floor, the boy toddling as fast as his little legs would carry him into Harry's own.

"Hey, buddy. Happy birthday!" He picked him up, and Dylan smiled toothily up at him, grabbing at his hair with tiny hands.

"Ha-ey! Happy!"

"Yes, happy birthday." His bulk was beginning to strain on his arms, so Harry walked to the sofa so that he could have a proper cuddle. Dylan's eyes began to roam the room as he took in his surroundings, and he gasped cutely when his eyes landed on Elian and Tom, who were sitting on the other sofa. He huddled closer to Harry, staring up at him questioningly.

"Who they?"

"They are Tom," He pointed to him so Dylan would know who was who. "And Elian, my mates."

He tilted his head, eyebrows scrunching. "Mate?"

"Remember when I woke up with pretty fairy wings?" He nodded exuberantly. "Well, because of that, I had to meet some new people, and I like them a lot, so now they're my mates." At his brother's very confused stare at his attempt of explaining the situation in simple terms, he continued. "Like mummy and daddy."

"Like mummy and daddy?" He hummed positively. Dylan tilted his head. "But..." He scrunched his eyebrows, and Harry easily interpreted it as him struggling to put his thoughts into words.

"It's not only Tom and Elian. Draco, who you know, don't you? And Blaise too, who is over there, are also my mates. There's more of us because of what my wings meant." He still looked confused, but now seemed to lose all interest in what Harry was saying, instead reaching out for Elian.

"I want."

"You want to go and see Elian?" He asked, and Dylan enthusiastically nodded. Harry glanced at his mate, and seeing no negative reaction, passed him over.

Elian expertly cradled the boy, obviously used to holding children, and Harry melted at the sight, almost trilling. He sent him a knowing look, before turning his full attention back to Dylan, eyes soft. "Hiya, I'm Elian!"

Dylan stared up at him with intense interest, reaching up to grab at his golden locks and tugging on them with a giggle. "Pretty!"

"Thank you, you're very pretty too."

 Harry smiled at the scene as Dylan babbled at his mate, but knew that they were under a time constraint. "Dyl, I've got something for you, a present."

"P'esent?" He lisped, leaning backwards so he could stare into Harry's eyes with an excited gleam. "Give, give!"

"Hang on a second, Blaise, could you- thanks!" His mate handed him the parcel wrapped in silver paper, and Dylan's eyes locked onto it immediately. "Open it, Dyl."

Excitedly, the boy grabbed the box out of his hands and began tearing at the paper, throwing the scraps onto the floor despite his mum's vocal disapproval. He gasped excitedly when the box was revealed, the colourful picture on the front depicting what its contents were.

"Bouncy!"

"Yes, a trampoline!" Dylan's last miniature trampoline had unfortunately been destroyed when it was left outside in the rain by accident, and to say the little boy had been distraught was an understatement. That day, and forever after, Harry realised that his baby brother wasn't the angel he had thought him of, the tantrum he had held being legendary. 

His mum and dad still hadn't gotten around to replacing it, so Harry had decided to take matters into his own hands and buy him a new, slightly larger one with a surrounding net, for his third birthday.

His mum placed a warm hand on the top of his head, and Harry turned, meeting her warm smile with one of her own. "Say thank you, Dyl."

"Fank you!"

"Anything for my favourite brother." He cooed, pecking the boy on the nose much to his shrieking delight.

A knock on the door alerted them to visitors, and Draco approached the door, opening it slowly, only to be knocked to the side by Liana barging in, Daisy close behind. She scanned the room, and locked onto Dylan on Elian's lap, charging forward with purpose.

Snatching him from his lap, Lia tipped the now shrieking boy upside down as she giggled happily. "Dyl, Happy birthday!"

However, their brother, who took a few moments to process the sudden movement, was not impressed and wailed in fear rather than the joy Lia had been aiming for. "Put down! Ma! Ma!"

"Liana, be careful!"

"I'm being gentle, I thought he was going to like it!"

Their mum was at her side in a moment, grabbing Dylan and tilting him the right way up, and the boy sniffled, burying his head in her shoulder. She sent a disapproving look at Liana. "Shh, it's alright, she wasn't going to drop you, Dyl."

"Not...like."

"No, I know you didn't like it. Liana, say sorry to him."

Liana pouted slightly, shifting in embarrassment. "Sorry Dyl."

The boy lifted his head, eyes still slightly watery, and held out his hands to his eldest sister. "Hug."

With a grin, she grabbed him out of their Mum's arms and cuddled him close, cheek rubbing against the top of his head in a soothing movement. "I know what'll cheer you up. I got you a present. Well, It's from both me and Daisy since we were on a budget and decided to combine expenses, but still, present!"

Dylan clapped his hands happily, and Liana placed him on the floor, taking the box from Daisy's hands. Harry scooched closer, watching as he ripped into it and shrieked once more.

"Teddy!" He grabbed the bear from inside its box and cuddled it close to his chest.

"Yes, a teddy, but let go of it for a second, I want to show you something." With great reluctance and slight confusion, he dropped the bear, and Liana pointed her wand at it, whispering under her breath. Suddenly, the bear began to grow, twice the size, three times the size, four, five, until finally, it stopped when it was nearly the same height as Draco, who was standing close by.

The room was silent for a few seconds, before Dylan screamed in overstimulated excitement, charging at the bear and hugging it with both arms. "I love it! Fanks!"

Liana and Daisy's smiles were huge, and Harry laughed in delight at his brother's enthusiastic response, despite their mum's defeated expression. She'd be the one dealing with his excitement when they went home, and his eventual tantrum when his mood inevitably dropped. He sent her a commiserating look, and she rolled her eyes fondly as Dylan ran to his sister's, tackling them both into hugs.

8th October 1997- Wednesday

"To be an Elder, to all species of Creatures, is one of the highest honours attainable, only below that of an Ancient, a member of a Noble and Royal family, or a part of one of the many Councils that govern our society. Being labelled as an Elder means that you have passed the average expected age of that species, it is a very respectable position to be in and comes with the responsibility of upholding the values of our society and passing them on to the next generation.

Elders are vital to the continuation of the peace and transaction of knowledge and are therefore important members of society that are to be respected. Therefore, unless informed not to, you must refer to Elder's by their title of 'Elder'. There is leniency for Creatures under the age of fifty, however, after that, the Elders will take offence to the purposeful absence of their official title, and it can end in repercussions."

"Why is it such a serious offence?" Macmillan questioned, sounding confused.

"Because of the age of these Elder's, having lived so long, it is expected that they are to receive some modicum of respect. Elders, for most species, are over five thousand years old, and therefore, the ideals they hold are from the period they were born in, usually. How they react to this offence also depends on their personal opinion of respect, and whilst some may simply brush it off, others may take it to hand to punish you by law, or even physically, such as by challenging you to an honour fight. It is looked down upon for those who have caused the offence to win these, so it is best for you to simply allow the Elder to win if you believe you may have a chance of beating them. But, with at least five thousand years of experience, that is very doubtful."

Harry listened to this lecture with half a mind, most of it focused on keeping his emotions wrapped up, and for his wings to remain tucked against his body. This was the worst he had ever felt, and as a wave of agony rolled through his body, and he had to curl in on himself to muffle the noise of pain, he knew that what Tom and Elian had said was true.

It wouldn't be long now, and he wasn't sure how ready he was for it.

9th October 1997- Thursday

When he woke up on the ninth of October, Harry knew that there was no way he was going to be able to tolerate sitting in a classroom for two hours, attempting to focus on learning whilst surrounded by threats, his insides burning him to a crisp.

He panted, throwing the covers off of himself, struggling to prop himself up on one arm, before he collapsed and simply laid there, mourning what he knew was happening.

His heat had begun.

A quick glance at the calendar by the bed- Tom's, who was incredibly meticulous with tracking his cycle- showed it to be the seventy-first day since his Inheritance and birthday. His heat cycle was a meagre seventy days long, or- he did a quick, unfocused calculation in his head- about two and a bit months long.

He cursed under his breath, stretching out on the warm sheets in discomfort, moaning as the movement cracked his back. That was such a short time, he felt that the time between his inheritance to now had passed in the blink of an eye. Hopefully, his recovery time would allow him longer in between before his next cycle started up.

His stomach muscles tensed suddenly, sending a wave of pain down his legs and up his spine. He groaned in discomfort, twisting side to side as the ache finally receded and allowed him to think once more.

Where were his mates? Surely, they wouldn't all leave him alone, not this close to his heat?

He let out a discontented chirp, blushing heavily at the animalistic sound that had involuntarily burbled from his throat. But he didn't have much time to feel embarrassment as the door to their bedroom burst open a few seconds later, a feral-looking Draco- Boread features bared in all of their glory- entered with a calming rumble.

Harry's eyes fixed on his form, and as much happiness as he felt from a mate's appearance, annoyance clouded his thoughts. "Where were you?!" He yelled as he roved his gaze over his clothed form, perfectly dressed in his uniform. It made him snarl internally- his mate was going to leave him alone when he was so vulnerable, so uncomfortable.

"Um, in the living room," He stuttered out, taking in Harry's sweaty, pained visage. "Are you alright?"

A frustrated growl tore from his throat. "No, I'm bloody not! I'm in heat!" His attention was redirected when a dripping Blaise entered the room, wings also flared, taking him in as well.

He frowned, dark eyebrows scrunching. "Heat? So soon?"

"Yes, heat!" He hissed, his patience for the distance between them waning. "Where are Tom and Elian?"

He approached Harry with his hands raised, and he nearly melted as they came into contact with his clammy forehead, allowing him to think clearer momentarily. "They're out, Tom got called into the Ministry and Elian went to go get more blankets since you said-"

"Go and get them! They shouldn't have left!"

Blaise turned to their other mate. "Draco, can you-"

The blond was already out of the door before Blaise could ask, and Harry growled as his remaining mate's attention was turned elsewhere, He whipped his head back quickly, a rumble in his chest soothing Harry's rejected feelings immediately. He cuddled in closer to Blaise, wrapping him in his arms securely and bundling him down onto the bed. His mate laughed, holding him equally tightly, nuzzling his face into his hair.

"I didn't expect your heat to hit so soon, I thought we had another few days at least. How are you feeling?"

"Hot, achy, uncomfortable."

He hummed sympathetically. "You're still in the early stages then."

Harry felt aghast. "This is the early stages?" But he was so hot and uncomfortable already, he couldn't imagine it getting worse than this. His stomach was cramping as well, sending shivers through his body, toes curling into the sheets to stop from voicing his pain.

"Yeah, seeing as how you're still able to hold a conversation and haven't completely turned feral on me yet. You're not even in your Creature form yet. Give it a few hours, and you'll be climbing all over us." Harry's lip curled at the thought, and Blaise chuckled. "However, for the moment, all you'll want to be is comfortable and safe. Have you made a nest?"

"Why would I do that?"

Blaise shook his head, looking contrite. "Shit, we really need to sit down and just give you every bit of information we know. Submissives, especially ones related to nesting types, create nests for comfort during heat. That you haven't made one means that it's not in your instincts to make one, so that means that I won't have to go and search for it." Harry growled at the suggestion that Blaise was going to leave him, and was shushed comfortingly. "I'm not moving, Harry, not until the others are back, at least."

They basked in each other's presence for a few more minutes, until the sound of the floo flaring alerted them to one of their missing mates' arrival. In the blink of an eye, Tom was by Harry's side, startling him as he grabbed his arms, red eyes searching his figure with intense focus.

"Harry, are you alright? I heard from Draco that you are in heat." He looked deeply into his eyes, and it made Harry preen to have every ounce of his attention for himself.

"I'm guessing so, Blaise says I'm in the early stages." His mate scoured him once more, nodding his head.

"I agree." He turned his head briefly to glance at the calendar, letting out a breath. "Your heat cycle must be seventy days long since today's the seventy-first since your birthday. I'll make sure to make a note of that, although there's no knowing when you'll next start your heat cycle after your heat has finished. We'll take better precautions next time, and make sure that we're present when it hits, I promise. I'm sorry that I wasn't here when you woke up. If I'd known how close you were..."

"It's fine, Tom. As long as one of you is with me, at least at the moment, I feel okay."

"Still, I'd rather you not have to suffer from our absence, even for a moment."

A crash from the living room announced the arrival of both Draco and Elian, and Harry almost melted into the sheets as their collective aura's settled over him, relaxing that all his mates were finally within close vicinity.

"Harry, are you alright?" Elian was on his in moments, grabbing him by his shoulders to peer deeply into his eyes, all his Fae attributes on display, which Harry had never seen before. Sure, Elian had shown his wings and ears, but he'd never released enough for his eyes to change shape, and gain a luminous hue, nor for the markings around them to show. He was breathtaking, but Harry didn't have much in him but to sigh at the answer, and cuddle closer.

"Tired." He mumbled, leaning backwards to lay back on the bed, dragging his mate with him. When none of the others followed, he chirped again, this time in annoyance, and soon, there was a pile of bodies on the bed, with him at the centre.

"Get some sleep if you can, Harry. It'd be better for you to rest whilst you can." He was out like a light before Draco's sentence had even finished.

The searing pain of his heat hit him all at once, as suddenly as a crashing wave, drowning him in agony until he could do nothing but screech, the feeling of the once soft bedsheets and clothes on his body feeling like thousands of knives on his skin.

He writhed, back arching, trying to escape the agony that was tearing its way ruthlessly through his body, all emanating from his stomach area. He almost wanted to rip into the offending area and tear out the cause of his pain, but his arms felt too weak to move, and his mind was once again distracted wholly by the pain.

Suddenly, there were hands on his body, ripping his offending clothes to shreds, and he purred in contentment as their cool touch came into contact with his searing hot skin.  Elian .

"Shh, it's alright, Harry."

He hadn't even realised that he had begun to sob, hands curling into the shirt of his mate and tugging at it.

"Hurry up! It's so hot, I'm burning!" He wailed, throwing his head back and cracking it against the headrest of the bed.

"Shit, Harry, are you alright!? Tom-"

The cool sensation of a medical spell being cast enveloped the area he had bashed, and the mate behind him, Tom, let out a sigh of relief. "It's fine, just a little bump."

Harry was still crying, although not for the reason his mates were worried about. "Hurry  up !" His voice cracked at the end of his desperate wail, and he twisted and turned until he felt the rest of his mates' hands on his body, cooling down his skin.

"Shh, it's alright Harry, we're here." The soothing rumble of Blaise's voice was the last thing he heard, and Draco's cool hand brushing back his sweaty hair was the last thing he felt before his mind turned to mush.

They were all here, he would be safe.

Chapter Text

14th October 1997- Tuesday

Harry awoke, unwillingly, to the faint sound of birds chirping in the distance. Their tweets, usually sweet and pure, felt sharp to his sensitive ears. He groaned at the room's harsh brightness from behind his eyelids, visible now that he was conscious. He shifted, whining as the movement brought his attention to the aches and pains of his body, and he hissed as an especially tender bruise was knocked by his flailing hand.

It was then that his mind registered his urgent need for the toilet, and he vaulted out of the bed, taking the covers with him in his mad dash to the bathroom, still half asleep. The noise obviously alerted one of his mates to his awakeness, because a knock on the door sounded whilst he was washing his hands.

"Harry, are you alright in there?" It was Elian, sounding concerned. He opened his mouth to respond, but all that came out was an unintelligible grunt. A second knock came, this one sounding more frantic. "Harry?" This time, the door handle jiggled ferociously. "Harry?! I'm coming in-"

"I..." He swallowed, the words grating on his throat like sandpaper. "I'm fine...give me a sec."

Elian's sigh of relief was audible even through the door and he stopped trying to force it open. "Alright, as long as you're okay?"

"I'm fine, stop worrying." He flapped his hands dry and opened the door, meeting his mate's concerned stare. It almost made him want to roll his eyes, but he was feeling so out of it that he simply huffed as an arm was slung over his shoulders, Elian grinning down at him. "Why'd you get so worked up? I was only using the loo."

"You've been out for quite a while, I didn't know if anything was wrong, and you were so silent in there."

Harry tilted his head back to stare up at his mate's face. He was as handsome as ever, if a little ruffled looking, his golden curly shining in even dampened sunlight. "How long did I sleep for?"

He shrugged "Over half a day, I'm not sure. At least, we woke up quite a few hours ago, and it felt like I'd slept for ages."

"What time is it?"

"Oh, only mid-morning, we just woke up in the middle of the night. Actually, you're up much earlier than I expected." He got a concerned look on his face. "But, anyway, Tom's making breakfast."

That stopped Harry short. "Tom?"

"Yeah, none of us can be bothered to go down to the Great Hall, and we're especially not forcing you to, and we're all a bit on edge at the moment, so a..." He paused, seeming to think about his next words. "House Elf wouldn't be a very welcome sight. And apparently, he can cook! I was surprised, too!"

He sped up his pace to the kitchen, and lo and behold, there was his eldest mate, looking terrifyingly domestic with a spatula in one hand and a spoon in the other, staring down at the frying pan as if it was his mortal enemy. At their entrance, he looked up, red eyes scanning Harry intensely. He waved his hand, and both utensils floated in the air whilst he approached him.

"Harry, how are you?" Tom asked, a hand brushing over his shoulder and the side of his neck in a comforting gesture.

Instead of immediately blurting out that he was fine, Harry pondered on the question for a few seconds. "I'm good, a bit achy though." And he refused to think further as to why that was, he was feeling too queasy to be embarrassed currently.

Tom's lips twitched up into a small smirk. "Yes, I would have thought you would be. I prepared a pain reliever just in case." He gestured to the bottle sitting on the side. "Only drink about half of it if the pain isn't too bad."

It tasted disgusting, and his face scrunched up in revulsion, sparking a laugh from Elian at his side as he dragged him away from the kitchen and into the living room, where Draco and Blaise were sitting with plates full of food.

A slight shove was all it took for him to collapse onto the sofa, sinking into the soft mass with a sigh of relief. Just walking from the bedroom to the living room had exhausted him more than he would like to admit. Tom entered the room with a steaming plate of food a minute later, and Harry shook his head when he noticed that the man was approaching him.

"Don't you want anything to eat, Harry?" Draco asked concernedly, staring at the empty spot in front of him, and then his full plate of food. "You're going to be absolutely useless this morning if you don't eat."

Harry's nose scrunched as a plate of food was placed in front of him, and his lip curled, a slight growl forming in his throat.

"Leave him, Draco. He's still coming back to himself, and his body is readjusting to needing food once more. I doubt he'll want anything until dinner, at least." Elian explained, fondly brushing a hand on Draco's shoulder. To Harry's surprise, the Boread didn't brush him away, simply sending him a slight glare instead.

It seemed as though his heat hadn't only brought together him and his mates more closely, but his mates to each other, as well.

Elian pulled the plate towards himself, and Tom sat on his other side, a plate of his own in his hands. He allowed the two to feed him small bites of their own food, but any offer of a plate off of his own was met with a growl.

The rest of the day was a slow one of lounging, sleeping and just reaffirming their bonds, now closer to each other than ever before, simple displays of affection coming easier with every brush of a hand through his hair and nuzzle to the side of his neck.

15th October 1997- Wednesday

"Dragonborn, the species which I and some of you are either a part of, or connected to in some way through bloodline or mateships, are, as you know, considered a Major species, the direct ancestor of many Minor Creature species. As the second most populous of the Major species, Dragonborns are rather involved in politics and the protection aspect of our society. The majority of the guards you will see during events will be Dragonborn, due to their enhanced senses, strength and speed-"

The day after, Harry, having had enough of the coddling he was being subjected to, decided to attend his Creature Studies lesson as normal, ignoring the glances sent his way by both his mates and the other Creatures in the classroom. However, he was barely paying attention to the lesson, instead distractedly listening in as his thoughts swirled.

His body felt off, and his instincts were going wild, berating himself internally for having emerged from his post-heat headspace too quickly, forcing his body to work in a way it wasn't ready to yet. Still, he had to hold strong, his final exams were approaching fast now that seventh year had gained its rhythm.

"Harry, are you sure you're alright? We can go back at any time."

"I'm fine, besides, I can't miss any more lessons."

"Submissives are legally permitted a week at most off of any commitments after their heat-"

"I already spent yesterday recuperating, there's no need to spend any more time doing that. I'm fine, drop it." He hissed, wary of the eyes that were drawn to their hushed conversation.

"Harry, we simply are simply thinking of your health."

He signed, his hackles lowering at the soothing tone. "I know that, but trust me when I say that I'm fine." They left him alone after that, although by the concerned stares they were sending his way every few seconds, Harry knew that they hadn't dropped it.

17th October 1997- Friday

The Transfiguration classroom was the last place Harry wanted to be right now, he'd much rather be hidden within the safe confines of his bedroom or snuggled into the corner of their sofa, than under McGonagall's untrusting stare. Yet, he had little choice, and even the presence of his closest friends couldn't brighten his mood.

"Heya, Harry, how are you?" Ron greeted as he drew closer, and Harry let a harsh breath escape him as he collapsed onto his chair, pursing his lips, giving his friend a look. 

He was exhausted, he was stressed, he was losing his mind with the rollercoaster his emotions were taking him on, yet at the same time, he'd never felt as content as he did with the current level of affection his mateship was showing each other, him included.

"Tired." He grunted simply, digging around in his back to slap the textbook on the desk.

Hermione, from the other side of Ron, leaned over him, eyes full of interest and concern. "From your heat?" She questioned, tone containing worry for her friend as much as it did scholarly interest.

Harry blushed, cheeks tinting a rosy red, and stuttered at her bluntness. "Um...no? Not from that, but more from how persistent my mates are being about my health. It's... a lot." He sighed, head falling into the palm of his hand. "They won't let it go, even though there's nothing really wrong, I'm just feeling a little off at the moment. I'm sure It'll go away soon." And he was, it didn't feel like much was wrong, at least, not physically. His scent was a little off, yeah, and his emotions felt a little more uncontrollable than usual, but surely, that was normal after a first heat, right?

"Why don't you go and get a check-up from Madam Pomphrey, relieve their worries, it'll get them off your back," Hermione suggested, and he shrugged, squirming slightly under their dual, concerned stares. He knew that it was a simple solution, but...

"Maybe, but you know I don't like the hospital wing." He'd spent too much of his time at Hogwarts there, mostly due to accidents on the Quidditch pitch.

Ron jumped in. "I don't think you'd be in there for long, it's not like you're in any pain, right, ma-Harry? It'll only be a checkup to ease your and their worries." He also looked troubled, freckled nose scrunched.

Harry sighed, knowing that they both had a point. "Hopefully, but not today. I'll see how I feel tomorrow morning."

18th October 1997- Saturday

On Saturday, the tension finally broke, and Harry was sequestered by his mates and sat down for the long-needed conversation. Tom, who always seemed to be the one to spearhead any uncomfortable conversations they had with him, sat at his side, gently holding onto his arm as if to keep him there, worried he would run off. "What's wrong, Harry? I'm concerned, you've been acting odd ever since your heat ended. Whilst this can be expected for the first few days after, it has been over a week now."

He huffed in response, feeling cornered and defensive, despite their open expressions. Well, as open as a bunch of Slytherins could get, Elian being the only outlier. Harry had him pegged for a Hufflepuff, although the man surprised him with his ferocity and sneakiness sometimes. "I'm fine, I'm just feeling a little off."

"Feeling a bit off is normal, and an expected symptom of post-heat, but the reactions you have been exhibiting are concerning. You've been shying away from crowds more than previously, shown signs of aggression and anger towards everyone, and have an increased appetite. It's almost as if you are at the cusp of another heat, but that can't be the case."

"Harry, I really think you should go and see a healer." Blaise cut in, and by Tom's exasperated sigh, they had been wanting to ease him more into the conversation before they mentioned anything about a checkup.

"What? Why? There's nothing wrong-" Harry began, panicked at the thought, but then he stopped. "Oh," Thinking further about it, he could understand what concerns they were having. He'd had his heat, possibly a fertile one, and they thought... "Oh. Oh, you-you think I could be... pregnant?" His voice pitched higher, and he scrunched his eyebrows. "But..." No further words came out.

"The way you're acting, Harry," Elian nervously licked his lips, hesitating, the wings on his back fluttering with nervousness. "I've seen signs like this many times before... from pregnant Submissives. I have many siblings, and quite a few of them, or their partners, are Submissives, and whenever signs such as these begin to show, it usually turns out that they are pregnant." He looked into his eyes, searching for a reaction nervously. "It's an instinctive, protective mindset from your Creature side, to protect your clutch from harm until you have the knowledge to knowingly protect them."

Harry's mouth opened, ready to deny it, refute any possibility of being pregnant. It was too soon, they hadn't been together long, and the first heat was hardly ever a fertile one. The chances were against them, more so than anything else. And yet...

"And what... what should I do, then? If I...am."

Tom leaned forward, regarding him seriously. "I... we think it's best if you go and see a healer, just to confirm or disprove our suspicions, first. Then, it will be up to you to decide."

"I'd prefer to see Madam Pomphrey. I'm... I don't want to get my hopes up... or, you know..."

Draco threw his arm over his shoulders, hugging him closer. "No matter the outcome, we'll be here to help you, Harry. There are no expectations, no pressure for one result or another, It is entirely up to you how to feel about the outcome."

He shakily smiled at his mates. "Fine, let's- let's go see her." Harry already felt a tightness growing within his chest, but just barely kept the panic at bay with a few deep breaths.

"Mr Potter, I hope you aren't here for yet another injury?" The woman tutted as she opened the medical wings' door, staring at him with disapproval. It was comforting that she was still treating him as she always had, disapproving yet unbiased.

"No, Madam Pomphrey, I was hoping you could give me a health check. My mates, um..." He stopped, staring up at her unsurely.  Did she know?

Her gaze softened knowingly. "I am qualified to treat Creatures on a basic level, and I already know of your status."

Harry breathed out a slight sigh of relief that he wouldn't have to explain anything to her, or even worse, head to the Creature Healing Halls instead of the familiar comfort of Hogwarts' Healing Wing. "Then, my mates are concerned about some signs I've been showing lately, so we wanted to see if anything is causing this. Mainly..." He hesitated. "I want to know if I'm..." He gestured to his stomach area, and she nodded in understanding.

"Of course, come on in."

Madam Pomphrey ushered them into the hospital wing with a genial smile, leading them over to one of the empty beds- the whole room currently empty of casualties, which was relieving. If he was pregnant, he didn't want anyone that he didn't trust to know.

Harry clambered nervously onto the bed, fisting at the white sheets and biting his lip. "Um, so, how do we do this?"

Madam Pomphrey gave him an empathetic look, picking up her clipboard and handing it to him to read. "It's a very simple spell, which I will cast directly onto your stomach area. Once I do so, a piece of parchment with the results will appear with your results on them, revealing whether or not you have conceived."

"Alright. Do I need to...?" He grasped at the hem of his shirt, and she shook her head.

"The magic will work despite the layers. Ready?" With a swish of her wand, she cast the spell, and a warm feeling emanated from the area before it receded, and Harry opened his eyes as she plucked the parchment from the air and began to read. Harry fidgeted as she didn't speak for a while, looking back at his mates for reassurance. They were also staring at the medinurse, transfixed on the piece of parchment in a way that made his stomach squirm with nerves. He turned back to her hesitantly.

"What- what does it say?"

Madam Pomphrey looked up and gave him a small, reassuring smile. "Positive. You are pregnant, Harry."

His eyes widened, and he gave Draco's hand a harsh squeeze, the man's hand clenching equally tight around his own, and he thought he could hear a collective intake of breath from his mates behind him. "I'm... pregnant? Are you sure?"

His head spun with the speed of his thoughts.  Pregnant? He was pregnant? Was he really...was there really a child...the possibility of a child...growing within him, right now?

"Yes, eight days along. Now, this is very early to know about your pregnancy, and I attribute that to your Creature instincts acknowledging that you are pregnant, and visibly showing this through your actions. Therefore, I implore you to tread with caution, as at this stage, your pregnancy is very unstable and fragile." She looked at him again, taking in his wide-eyed appearance, and steeled herself. "That is, unless this pregnancy is unwanted." His head snapped up, eyes going wide. "If that is the case, then-"

He made a pained noise. "No! No, I... It's not... I want to keep it."

"Are you sure, Harry? You are very early on, and young yourself, still." Madam Pomphrey stared at him seriously, eyes searching.

He shook his head vehemently. Just the thought of it was making him nearly physically recoil from the woman, his instincts screaming at him, now that he was taking proper notice of them, that she was trying to harm his baby. "No, no, I'm sure."

She nodded. "Then I will be here to support you throughout your pregnancy whilst you remain at Hogwarts. It would be best, however, for you to contact the Creature Healing Halls as soon as possible, so that they may also monitor you, as people with more experience and knowledge with Creature pregnancies. If it is not too bold of me, then let me be the first to congratulate you and your mates."

"...Thank you." He still hadn't brought up the nerve to glance behind him, too afraid of what he would see on his mates' faces. Despite what they had said earlier, did they truly want a child, or even children, with him so early on?

As Madam Pomphrey walked away, having sensed the tense atmosphere between them and noticed their need for privacy, he finally plucked up the courage to glance at Draco, who was still clutching onto his hand. He was staring at Harry in barely suppressed awe, eyes glittering as they looked in between his stomach area and his face, and when their eyes met, his attempt to compose himself was ruined by the smile twitching at his lips. It made him flustered, so he turned away quickly, grabbing hold of the parchment the nurse had left on the table, and hopped off the bed.

They left the medical wing in a collective daze, Harry gripping the parchment that confirmed what his body had been trying to tell him for days now. He was pregnant, and he had no idea how to feel.

On one hand, he was overjoyed at the outcome- his first heat had ended with being pregnant, and it was a wonderful sign for him who had always wanted a large family of his own, five or more children like his parents had had. However, he also felt some trepidation and worry- was he really ready for a child? Were they all ready? He, Draco and Blaise still had to finish off school, and they hadn't been together as a mateship for two months yet, so would this pull them even closer together, or would it create more distance?

If he was calculating right, then, if the baby wasn't a Creature- which odds were in favour of that outcome- he'd be having them in August of next year, which, whilst it seemed so far away now, would still be only a year into their relationship.

He had seriously hoped that his heat cycle would have been a year or more longer, or even that his first heat would be an infertile one, but it seemed that it was just his luck neither of his wishes wouldn't come to fruition.

But, he didn't even think for one second about getting rid of his baby. They were his, and he was already picturing their face, the joy those around him would feel when he introduced them to them, and the happiness he would feel at having a family of his own.

They entered their rooms, sitting on the sofas in silence, before Harry spoke up, his tone soft and unconfident. "Are you fine with this? I-I said that I wanted to keep it, but I didn't ask for your-"

Elian interrupted him. "Harry, in the end, it is your own choice, so if you want to keep our baby, then you will always be allowed to. However, I'll say, and I think I can speak for all of us, that we're overjoyed." Tom nodded but didn't speak, his eyes still glazed slightly, off in his own thoughts.

"I... having a child with you feels... this news-" Draco broke off, turning his head to the side to hide his face. "I am grateful that you chose me, that you love as I have loved you for years now, and with this child, everything is perfect." It was sappy and so un-Draco-like that it made him snort, but it was also just what he needed in a moment such as this.

"There's nothing more a Creature desires than their mate's happiness and children. This will bring us both, and I couldn't be happier." Blaise smiled, looking emotional, and Harry couldn't help but burst into relieved tears, sobbing into Tom's shoulder as the man tightly held him there, his fears alleviated.

21st October 1997 - Tuesday

He was walking with Hermione and Ron on Tuesday when he couldn't keep it to himself anymore. He'd never been able to keep things from his friends for long. Pulling them into a quiet alcove, he leaned in. "I'm pregnant." He whispered, delighting in their gasps.

" Oh, Harry, congratulations! "

" Congrats, ma-Harry! "

He soaked in their congratulations, smiling from ear to ear at their easy acceptance, what he needed in his current, unsure mood.

"Thanks."

"Do you know what it is?" Ron asked, grinning at him. "Bet it's a girl, it seems like they run in the family."

Harry laughed, and Hermione scowled up at her boyfriend. "Of course not, he's probably not even two weeks along!" She turned to him, that usual intellectual glint in her eyes. "Magic is amazing, seeing as how Madam Pomphrey was able to detect it so quickly!"

He shrunk back a little bit, arm covering his stomach, her words and quick movement somehow alerting an instinct within him to protect. "Yeah, I was surprised too. Mum usually only knows after a few weeks, at least, from what I remember. Pomphrey thinks I was able to detect it due to being a Creature, so I went to get checked out."

"That makes sense. I wonder if there's any difference in the development period of human children born to Creature parents." She began muttering to herself, branching off to head to the library. Ron and Harry looked at each other in resignation, following her.

Blaise wrapped an arm around him once he arrived back in their room, splaying a warm hand on his stomach as if there was a bump there already. Harry sighed, bemoaning that the protectiveness had already begun, knowing how agitated it had made his mum feel in the later days of her most recent pregnancies. "Are you feeling okay, Harry?" 

"Fine, I only went for a short walk with Ron and Hermione."

"I know, but your pregnancy is fragile at the moment, I'm just worried. Nobody knocked you, right?"

"No, nothing happened, it's all good." Before he could speak again, Harry interrupted. "What are we having for lunch? Are we heading to the Great Hall, or should I help you make something?"

He had a feeling he'd be doing a lot of diverting in the next few months.

Chapter Text

25th October 1997- Saturday

After a few days of thinking, worrying, assimilating the fact that he was pregnant into his mind, and preparing himself, Harry finally plucked up the courage to tell his family, foremost his parents. He was just over two weeks along, and his mind had finally settled now that he knew he was pregnant and acknowledged it himself, as well as assured that his mates wanted this baby-  or babies , he thought with horror- as much as he did.

There was no use denying it, or thinking about the what if's, he was pregnant, and he hoped to see it through until the end.

Harry wanted to tell his mum and dad first, before any other relatives or his mates' families. Sure, he had told Hermione and Ron, but that had been in the heat of the moment, a moment of doubt and fragility that he needed to reassure himself that, above all, his friends supported him. And they did. Now, all he had to do was break the news to his parents that they were perhaps going to be grandparents by next year.

Taking a deep breath, he chucked the floo powder into the fire, flinching back slightly when it flared. "Potter Manor," Harry spoke, and the shape of his mum's head began to form after a few seconds.

"Harry, how are you, sweetheart?" Her soft and caring tone immediately put him at ease, and he relaxed slightly. He had been feeling at edge ever since Tom had left a little while back, knowing that he was now more vulnerable than before. It was a silly thought, and Harry berated himself for even thinking such a thing whilst still surrounded by his other mates, and in secure rooms, but his instincts just wouldn't let up.

"I'm fine, Mum. How are you?"

"Good, although Peony's been driving me up the wall in the kitchen for the past hour. Your dad's just gone to get her settled. Dylan's watching cartoons, which is keeping him happy at least." He tried to grin at her words, but his anxiousness refused to let him. She caught on immediately. "What's wrong, Harry? Is everything ok?"

He began hesitantly, knowing that it was now or he'd never get it out until it was too late. "Um... I have some news to share. With both you and Dad."

"What is it, sweetheart?" His Mum tilted her head, concern sprouting in her eyes. "It's nothing bad, is it?"

"No, not bad, just... I'd prefer to say it in person. It's... quite a big bit of news." That was an understatement, he was going to make them grandparents before they were forty, and himself a parent before he was eighteen, if his calculations were right. He was due in mid-July, if the baby wasn't a Creature and a singleton, just before his eighteenth birthday.

"Okay, sweetheart, let me just ask Sirius if he can come round and watch Dyl and Peony. We'll only be a few minutes." The call cut off, and he slumped back into Blaise's solid chest, breathing out a sigh. Blaise hummed questioningly, nuzzling into his hair.

"They'll be round in a few minutes." He told him, receiving a hum in response.

"Ok. Are you all good?" Harry nodded, relaxing further into his warmth. He'd noticed that Blaise ran much hotter than anyone else he'd met, probably due to being a Dragonborn. He'd have to ask him. "Draco, put the kettle on! We're going to need tea!"

Draco's confused voice came from the kitchen. "How do I do that?"

"How-" Blaise paused, and they looked at each other in confusion. "What do you mean. ' How '?!"

Blaise got up, placed him into his warm vacated spot, and rushed to the kitchen. Harry could hear them bickering with each other, their hushed whispers echoing. It surprised Harry how used Blaise was to kitchen items whilst Draco seemed inept, Elian even more so. He would bet it was due to their sheltered childhoods. He stifled a snort, before sobering as the floo flared, announcing his parent's incoming arrival.

The first to come through was his Dad who, upon seeing him slouched on the sofa, bounded over to bundle on him. Harry's instincts went haywire and, without his permission, his wings sprouted from his body and sent him up into the air, far away from any harm to his fragile pregnancy. He didn't stop until his head brushed the ceiling, which was quite high, and he was far away from what he now realised was simply a bit of fun. However, it could have still caused something terrible in the process.

From the ground, his Dad gaped up at him, as did his Mum who had followed through the floo only moments later. They both looked startled and confused. "Harry? Why'd you..."

"Harry!" The call of one of his mates from the bedroom doorway, Elian, his mind supplied, coaxed him out of the defensive mindset his instincts had placed him in, and he blinked down at the ground just as confused as they were. "Are you alright?"

"I'm fine." He allowed himself to float down gently, making sure his feet touched the ground before he allowed his wings to droop, and blushed as his parents continued to stare at him in bewilderment. "Sorry, just seeing you charge at me like that, it set off my instincts."

His dad visibly relaxed. "Phew, I thought I'd done something to annoy you or something. Never expected that much of a refusal." He chuckled weakly. "But it's good to see you've learnt to use your wings, maybe we can go out racing one day over Christmas?"

Harry smiled, feeling giddy at just the thought of flying so freely. "Sure, I'd like that." Elian's worried glance told him that his mates would attempt all they could to persuade him from doing just that.

A pair of arms wrapped themselves softly around his waist, and Harry turned despite knowing who it was already. "Tom, you're back." His mate had gone to tell Dumbledore that they were going to be inviting guests around for the next couple of days. "What did Dumbledore say?"

"Well, his answer means nothing now, since your parents are already here, but he agreed. He just reminds us that those who enter are not allowed out of our rooms."

"That's fair." He leaned back into his mate's broad chest, comparing his coldness to Blaise's earlier warmth. "Hi, Mum."

"Hello, Harry." She looked amused now, stepping forward to take him into her arms gently. She smelt like soap and lavender, familiar scents that had him almost melting into her soft embrace with a content sigh. It was as if something clicked within him, recognising that she was the one who had raised him, and someone who wouldn't harm him in such a way. "Oh, it's been so long since I got to hug you."

"It's only been a couple of months, I've spent longer at Hogwarts before." Harry still hugged her as tightly as she was, burying his face into her shoulder.

"Yes, but it's different now. You're not under our direct care anymore." She made a small sniffling noise that had Harry rearing back, meeting her slightly watery eyes. He made a noise, intending to comfort her, but she'd already stepped back to intertwine her hand with his Dad's. "What was it you wanted to talk to us about, sweetheart?"

Harry drew in a deep breath, biting his lip in hesitation. Was it too soon to tell them? Damn it, he should have thought about that before, most people didn't until they were nearing or out of their first trimester! "I'm... pregnant. Just over two weeks along, and now that I'm saying it out loud, it seems stupid to tell you so early when-"

"Oh, Lils, we're going to be grandparents before forty!" His dad interrupted, shout half horrified, half filled with joy that was barely contained in his smile. His Mum, on the other hand, was staring at him in shock, green eyes flickering back and forth between him and his mates with increasing suspicion.

"You had your heat..."

"Yes, that tends to be the only way for Creature's to get pregnant, except in extenuating circumstances, of course."

"Tom!" Harry elbowed him sharply for his snide tone, but his Mum's surprised laugh drew his attention back to her, where she was smiling from ear to ear, eyes glistening with unshed tears.

"Oh, that's wonderful! Congratulations, sweetheart."

His dad was quick to follow with a cheerful smile. "Yeah, congrats Har. Despite the fact you've made us young grandparents, which Sirius is going to have a ball about, I wouldn't have it any other way."

"Thank you." He let out a teary chuckle, allowing them to bring him into a hug once more, basking in the love and support he could feel emanating from both his mates and his parents. He felt accepted, and that he had made the right decision to tell them, despite how rash his decision had been.

Now, all that was needed was to tell the other close family members, and for his baby to stick around.

Draco sighed as Harry squeezed his waist harshly, shifting away slightly to prevent the man's stomach from pressing too harshly into his side.

He was feeling overly conscious of every movement of his mate's now that it was revealed that he was pregnant, and he could admit to being a bit excessively protective. That didn't stop him, however, from snuggling up with the man whenever he requested it.

Draco knew that he didn't have a pleasant personality, was known to be cold, sarcastic and mean quite a lot of the time, and acknowledged openly that he treated Harry differently than he did everyone else. He understood that, without Harry, public opinion of him would be much worse than it was today. The man softened him and made him act uncharacteristic, bringing out a less statue-like persona than the pureblooded one he'd been socialised into from a young age.

The man in question made a noise in his sleep, a sort of questioning chirp that had his instincts flaring up to make a noise of his own in response, the flush creeping up his neck only abating at the content smile this brought to Harry's face.

Draco still didn't know how to feel entirely about his inheritance, having been brought up to believe that Wizards and Witches were the superior force of the Magical World, but he was grateful that he was a Creature now. Without his inheritance, he wouldn't have Harry, he wouldn't have the others who were growing on him as he spent more time with them, and he wouldn't have the little lifeforce slowly growing stronger under the protective cradle of his hand.

When Harry walked into the living room with a mug in hand, he saw Blaise knelt at the fireplace, waiting for the floo call to connect. The man's hair was tipped forward, covering his face and hiding his expression. He approached the sofa, intending to snuggle up, when a rich, womanly voice echoed in the room, startling him.

"Blaise darling, what a surprise! You hardly ever call me, not that I don't understand, of course. You're young, you're in love, you're-"

Blaise sighed, sounding exasperated. "There's something me and my mates want to tell you, Mother. Could you come round?"

Her overexaggerated gasp brought a smile to Harry's face. "Ooh, how mysterious! I'll be around in just a minute, I didn't expect to be going out today."

"You're not going out, you're only-" The call cut off, and Blaise sat back on his heels with an exasperated sigh. " Coming round for a little while. Mother is always so overprepared."

"Better over than under," Elian commented from his seat on the sofa, and Harry slid into the spot next to him, getting comfortable while they waited for the woman to arrive.

"Tom, Draco, Blaise's Mum's going to come round in a minute!" He shouted for the pair to hear. Draco was getting his homework done on the desk in their bedroom, and Tom was pattering around in the kitchen, rearranging the cupboards yet again, which would surely end in an argument of some sort when someone couldn't find something. The man was unexpectedly obsessed with the kitchen for a Politician who acted like menial tasks was beneath him most of the time.

The floo flared just as they entered the living room, and Harry took in the woman who emerged from the fireplace with awe. Blaise's mother was a beautiful woman, almost identical to her son with her bright eyes that contrasted with her dark skin, and a lithe but tall frame that towered over Harry. However, despite their similar looks, there were differences in colouring, such as the copper-coloured scales surrounding her eyes instead of the obsidian ones Blaise had, and her eyes being a purple-flecked golden instead of his mate's golden-flecked purple.

"Blaise, sweetheart, how are you my darling?" She stepped forward, arms wide open to accept her only child, who scrunched his nose but still accepted it without complaint.

"I am well, Mother."

The woman squeezed him tighter, rocking them a few times before finally letting go with a grin, much to the man's obvious embarrassment. "Good, good, now, introduce me to your beautiful mates! Especially the dear Submissive who chose you."

Blaise seemed to straighten then, Dragon characteristics becoming more prominent, his wings thankfully remaining tucked away. Harry recognised it, in amusement, as him  preening , happy to show off his mates to his parent. "Mother, you already know Draco-"

"Ah, Draco, darling, wonderful to see you again. How are you?" She interrupted him, smiling at him fondly.

Draco nodded his head respectfully. "I am well, Lady Zabini. How are you, as well?"

"Excellent, now that I am able to meet you all. And who is this beautiful young man?" She turned her attention to Elian, who smiled shyly at her. "He must be a Fae."

"This is Elian Luwynn."

"Luwynn? My, how wonderful it is to meet a Prince of Fae kind. Well met, your highness." This time, Blaise's Mother offered a deep bow, which had Elian flapping his hands about awkwardly.

"Please, call me Elian. It is a pleasure to meet you, Lady Zabini." His manners were impeccable despite the boyish grin on his face, eyes sternly watching over her. Harry's eyebrow rose at his seemingly hostile nature, but nobody else batted an eyelid.

"Then you must all call me Antonella. And my, if my eyes don't deceive me, Thomas Slytherin, you have finally been chosen as a mate. Or should I say, you finally decided to show up to a mate meeting." Blaise's Mother tilted her head, a sly smile on her lips as she observed the man.

Tom smirked slightly, looking smug and proud. "I have. Well met, Antonella."

"Well met, Thomas." Antonella turned to him last as Blaise introduced him, a sparkle in her eyes. "Oh, it is a pleasure to finally meet you, darling! Blaise is simply enamoured with you, and I couldn't help but be eager to meet you."

Harry chuckled, drawn in by her charisma. "It's nice to meet you too."

"Oh, now aren't you just perfect, darling! Look at your pretty green eyes, your dainty hands, and oh, Blaise, a Potter? The hair on your children's heads is going to be a dreadful nightmare!" She threw her son's way dramatically, before turning back to fuss over him, hesitating to touch him until he indicated she could.

It was once they were settled on the sofa's that she finally remembered why she had been asked over. "Now, not that I am not overjoyed that you have invited me around, but what is it you wanted to discuss?"

"We have some important news to share with you, Mother." Blaise looked at Harry, who stared at him with a horrified expression.  He  had to tell her?

He looked at her and blushed when he met her intense stare. "I'm pregnant. Only two weeks along."

"Oh, how wonderful!" She gasped, clasping her hands togehter. Her eyes unexpectedly began to water, and a tear slid down her face.

"Mother-"

"I'm going to be a grandmother! Oh, this is- this is such brilliant news! Thank you, Harry, darling, I'm overjoyed!" She hugged him closer with one arm, exuding warmth just like her son did, which made him feel drowsy and content. Harry smiled so much that his face hurt, happy at the knowledge that at least two sides of the family were happy for them.

However, Harry had to admit that it wasn't the Creature's sides he was concerned about, it was Draco's, whose parents had knowledge that they carried Creature blood, but thought it was too diluted to create a Creature child. They were most likely still shocked by Draco's inheritance, so how would they take him becoming a father before eighteen?

"Now, you boys better make sure he's eating well, you hear me? Pregnancy is tiring at the best of times, and I'm not having my gorgeous son-in-law going without everything he could desire."

"Of course, Mother, who do you take us for? Harry's already got us all wrapped around his pinky finger."

"As he should!" She stood then, fluffing up her hair so that the ringlets were more voluminous. "Well, I'm sorry to say, but I must be going now, I have a potion going and I don't want to leave it unsupervised for too long. Farewell, for now, sweethearts! Don't be strangers, call me if you ever need anything."

"Bye Mother."

"Bye Antonella!"

"Bye-bye!" She called out finally as the floo flared once more, stepping into the flames and whisked off back to where she had come.

As if his strings had been cut, Blaise slumped back into the sofa with an exhausted groan, throwing an arm across his eyes.

"She's... a lot." Harry hesitated to say, but Blaise snorted amusedly in response.

"And that wasn't even her at her worst. Mother can be overwhelming with the enthusiasm she oozes sometimes."

It was growing late by the time it was decided that Draco's family should be the last ones they called for the day. Dinner was in half an hour, so Draco hurried to contact Malfoy Manor to share the news.

Narcissa was the only one present, Lucius being at the Ministry, which Harry had guiltily hoped for. The elder Malfoy admittedly unnerved him a bit, and he'd rather his wife be the one to inform him that his son was going to be a father at the young age of seventeen or so. Depending on the species of the baby, he could be pregnant for as little as under five months or as long as a year. There was also the factor of if there were multiple, and if they were different species, then it could skewer his due date into unrecognition. He shuddered at the thought.

"Draco, how are you? This is an unexpected call. Are you okay?" Narcissa's tone was soft, and it relaxed him, having expected something much colder for being called upon so suddenly.

"I am well, Mother. We wanted to speak to you about something, it's... important. Nothing bad, I'm sure you'll be ecstatic."

"Is it alright if I come through the floo?"

"Of course."

Draco stepped back from the fireplace as it flared a moment later, and out came the figure of Narcissa Malfoy.

She looked as wonderful as ever, dressed in green robes patterned with the outlines of dragon scales, sparkling emerald teardrops dangling from her ears and a golden feather wrapped around her wrist, identical to his own. She went straight to Draco and wrapped her arms around him softly, cradling him like he was shorter than her even though the man now towered over her not-so-petite form. "It's good to see you again, you're looking much healthier. I should smack that man for the way he ran you ragged."

"Please don't, Mother. I learnt a lot, despite how tiring it was."

Narcissa tutted as she pulled back, a slight frown on her face. "It is inexcusable, you are our heir, and more importantly, our son. He shouldn't be working you so harshly." Her eyes lifted from his form to glance around, fixing on Harry. "And Harry, you're looking rather pale. I'm hoping that your eating well?"

"I am, Tom is a good cook."

One sleek, blonde eyebrow raised. "Lord Slytherin, I didn't know you could cook."

"It's a skill I picked up during my travels. How are you, Lady Malfoy?"

"Well, and you?"

"Perfectly content." They bluntly spoke to each other.

She hummed as she observed him for a couple more moments, not even hiding it, before she turned back to Draco.

"Darling, what was I called here for?" Draco's eyes travelled to him, and Harry stiffened, Narcissa followed his gaze, tone softening when she looked at him. "Harry, what is it you wished to say?"

He was being put on the spot  again ? "I-um, I conceived on my heat two weeks ago. So I'm pregnant. With a baby- obviously. Or more-" He nervously babbled, only stopping at the emotional gasp Narcissa made. His eyes flickered up in worry, only to be met with a watery smile so soft it made him melt.

"Harry, that's wonderful news! I'm so happy for you, sweetheart." She fondly brushed his hair back, drawing him into a warm hug. Many viewed Lady Malfoy as a cold and stern figure, which she was to all who weren't close to her, but to those who were, she was a motherly figure filled to the brim with love that had only Draco to focus on for many years. After all, most wizarding families only had a couple of children, Harry's and the Weasleys being outliers, meaning that most were overly protective of any they had.

"Thank you, Mrs Malfoy."

"Oh, sweetheart, you're my son-in-law, please call me Narcissa, we've known each other for long enough."

He hummed contentedly, basking in the honey-like daze that came over him. He vaguely remembered a questioning tone, and the arms of one of his mates wrapping around his waist before he dipped into a soothed unconsciousness, not waking until later in the evening.

26th October 1997- Sunday

Harry was most nervous about the upcoming visit of Elian's relatives. His 'Da' and one of his many brothers, Elion, had confirmed that they were able to come to Hogwarts, only them since they didn't want to overwhelm them.

But Harry was nervous simply because they were  royalty .

He'd never met royalty before, the Wizarding world lacking that sort of social hierarchy, so he had little idea of how to act around them. Elian had assured Harry, as they were mates, Harry wasn't expected to be overly formal with them, especially since he was so young in comparison, but he couldn't help but fret.

What if they didn't like him? What if Elian's dad didn't approve of them being mated? Harry had no idea if a mating bond could be broken, but if anyone could do it, then surely it would be the ten-thousand-year-old co-leader of his  entire species !

Harry fretted for the entire morning, watched on worriedly by his mates who were plying him with tea and blankets, snuggling him into their sides on the sofa and attempting to distract him with books and games. It worked until the floo flared up just after lunchtime, and his heart began to race rapidly once more.

With a bounce in his step, Elian approached the fireplace to allow his relatives entry, and the floo burned brighter before a man shorter than his mate stood before it.

The man was breathtaking, with black hair, darker than any Harry had seen before, silver eyes and sharp features that looked the perfect mix of intimidating and welcoming. He was softly smiling at Elian, the dark, sharply shaped wings behind him fluttering happily. "Sweetheart, thank you for inviting us, I have been eagerly waiting to meet your mates." Despite his words, his eyes didn't stray from Elian. Harry assumed that this, despite looking around the same age as them, must be Elian's 'da'. His instincts were almost screaming it.

"Da, thank you for coming. May I introduce you to them? This is Thomas Slytherin, our Top Dominant-"

"A Vampire of good lineage. It is wonderful to meet you." He held out his hand, and Tom bowed over it.

"And it is a pleasure for me as well, Imperial Consort Luwynn."

"And the boy who bares the markings of a Hebridean Dragonborn?"

"This is Blaise Zabini."

"Ah, yes, the Zabini's are also a Vampire line that recently joined with a Dragonborn line. And, my, a Boread?"

"This is Draco Malfoy."

That seemed to get a reaction out of the man, his eyes widening slightly. "Malfoy? Your Boread ancestor is a famous one, as is the line she descended from."

One of Draco's pale eyebrows rose in surprise and confusion. "The line I descended from? I apologise, I've heard nothing about this."

"Ah, I suppose they'll inform you in due time." He waved off, seeming hesitant to answer. "Now, you must be Harry Potter." Elian's dad finally turned his gaze to him, and Harry stiffened slightly under such scrutiny.

"I am."

He hummed, looking him up and down. Then, a smile twitched at his lips. "I approve immensely. And I hope that Elian is treating you well? If he is not, all you need to do is tell me, and I'll sort out his attitude." Harry let out an unexpected laugh which drew a satisfied smile onto the man's face before a cough from behind him had it dimming. "Ah, Elion, introduce yourself."

He moved to the side and revealed the man who stood behind him, who looked startlingly like a slightly less boyish version of Elian, his hair longer, ears pointier, and his aura gave off the impression that he was  old . Older than Harry could imagine.

"Hello, it is a pleasure to finally meet you all. I am Elian's older brother, Elion. Please feel free to call me Lio if the similarity of our names is too much."

"Ah, Lio, you made it!" Elian rushed at the man, bundling into his arms with strength Harry was sure was going to topple the pair, but Lio held fast, simply chuckling as his younger brother grappled him into a tight hug.

"Course, couldn't let Da go on his own."

The afformented man huffed. "I can take care of myself, thank you very much."

"I didn't mean it like that, Da. More in that I doubt you would come back on your own. Don't worry." He smiled at Harry. "I'll drag him back if he starts trying to convince you to live in the Fair Realm."

"You will do no such thing! I am your Father, not one of your children!" The man snapped, glaring at 'Lio' who simply looked amused.

The floo flared again, this time signalling an incoming call, and Harry frowned. They weren't expecting anyone else at the moment, unless it was one of their relatives calling? Tom walked over to the floo and answered it, talking with whoever the other was in hushed tones for a little while whilst they looked on, before sighing as it cut off.

"What is it?" Harry asked him as the man stood with a put-out expression on his face.

"My grandfather, Salazar, has requested to talk with us over the floo in a little while. He said he has a feeling we were going to contact him, but he won't be available for a while after today."

"Ah, you're one of Salazar's direct descendants?" Elian's dad asked in his melodious tone, although it sounded more curious than questioning, as if that had affirmed what he'd been thinking. "I was wondering if you were of the side branch or the main."

"I'm descended from the Gaunt line, from his youngest daughter," Tom confirmed blankly, staring at the man without emotion.

"Ah, yes, yes, I've heard all about you. Sal wouldn't stop crowing for years at the meetings about your Inheritance. Even he didn't expect anything to come out of the Gaunt line, as diluted from its Creature ancestry as it was. My, it is incredible how many powerful families are gathered within this mateship. You will be a political force to be reckoned with within the next few decades, Harry Potter." His tone was teasing, but Harry flushed at the insinuation.

"That wasn't my intention."

The man's smile sharpened. "Oh, I know. I wouldn't have allowed my son to attend your meeting if I had foresaw any untoward intentions. I am glad, however, that it was you who chose him. Elian seems to like you."

"More than like, Da, Harry is perfect!" Elian puffed.

The man chuckled, turning his gaze back to Harry, expression knowing. "Oh, I know. He wouldn't have conceived if you all hadn't 'more than liked' him."

Harry couldn't stop the way his jaw dropped, nor the breathless question that escaped him. " How do you know that ?!"

The man laughed like a tinkling bell, tilting his head back in a way that highlighted the ornate necklace on his neck. "I've been pregnant many times, a hundred or more now, and last with Elian. It's become instinctual for me to notice the signs of pregnancy, no matter how weak they are. You must be less than a few weeks along, yes? I can only just sense it."

"Just over two weeks."

"And I suppose this is what you were intending to tell us? My apologies if it isn't, my lips are sealed if this wasn't planned."

"Oh, no, it was!"

"Then allow me to congratulate you, this is wonderful news! Please know that I am free to help you in any way I can, seeing as how I will most likely be the closest reference you will get to your experience. I, too, am a Submissive Fae, after all." He smiled, looking down at him fondly.

"Well, I think that's obvious." Lio interrupted with a smirk.

The man tutted, smacking the other slightly with an offended frown. "Shut it, you."

Elian's Dad and brother stayed whilst they contacted Tom's 'Grandfather', sitting on the sofa and sipping tea whilst conversing with Elian.

The voice that came from the floo was unexpected, as was the face that appeared. "Thomas, it's good to see you are well." Salazar Slytherin's voice was silky smooth, a match to Tom's own but deeper. He startlingly looked to only be in his early thirties at most, with pale skin and bright-red eyes a shocking contrast to the image of a brooding, dark-eyed man he had imagined in his head whilst told of the Hogwarts founder all those years ago.

"Grandfather."

The man hummed, eyes sliding to look at Harry when he shifted. "And that must be your mate by your side. Well met, Heir Potter."

"Ah, yes, well met, um...Your Majesty?"

His laugh was unexpected. It was throaty and full of amusement, so contrasting to the cool demeanour he had been showing previously. "Please, call me Salazar, or even Grandfather if you will. You are a member of the Slytherin line now, I won't have you calling me so stiffly. That's for the spoilt brats I don't like."

"Grandfather, you are bothering him." Tom drawled, unphased in the face of something Harry felt warranted discussion. Salazar Slytherin, the dark wizard who created the house of Slytherin, renowned for its member's inclination towards the darker side of magic, was an outgoing, young-looking Vampire that destroyed all his expectations.

The man simply smiled in response. "What was it you wished to discuss with me, anyway? Has Thomas been causing any problems?" Tom made a noise of indignation in the back of his throat. "He's always doing something he shouldn't, especially with those Knig-"

"He's pregnant, Grandfather." Tom snapped tersely, shutting the man off.

The man's eyebrows rose, and then he chuckled once more. "Pregnant? You work fast, hasn't your mateship only been together since August time?" Harry blushed brightly, shying away from the flames as if to hide from the conversation..

"Grandfather, don't be-"

"Bah! Let this old man have something! Congratulations, anyway, I've been waiting for this idiot to tie himself down at some point. All the looks and wealth a man could need, and it took him over fifty years!"

"I was biding my time, and I ended up being chosen by a mate that I-" Tom looked at him then, red eyes hesitant. "That I like."

Salazar's expression was gleeful. "I never thought I'd see the day, Thomas Riddle, acting like a sap-"

 Tom scowled. "Goodbye, Grandfather. Harry, say bye."

"Um, bye-" The call was cut off by Tom, the last image of Salazar being his smirking face.

A bark of laughter from behind them had Harry turning, remembering that they had an audience. Elian's dad and brother looked amused, and his other mates seemed stunned to see Tom so ruffled. The man was cursing slightly under his breath, still glaring into the hearth.

"Your Grandfather is as wacky as always it seems." Lio laughed, seeming delighted.

"Only the wackiest could have thought up Hogwarts. Have you seen the moving staircases? They're deathtraps!"

"Oh, yes, one of my daughters helped to create them."

"Your daughter? Aren't you Elian's brother?"

The man snorted as if he'd said something hilarious. "You think I wouldn't have a child by now at over four thousand? Even Elian's got one on the way, and he's twenty!" Elian made a noise of protest, sounding vaguely like 'I'm twenty-seven!'. "No, I have many times Great-Grandaughters older than my little brother. It's quite funny really, especially when we have to guess what generation which relative is from."

27th October- 1997- Monday

After a long day, Charms in the morning and then Potions in the afternoon, all Harry wanted to do was snuggle up on the sofa with one of his mates. He wasn't fussy, he'd have any one of them, or more if he could, but Tom had gone to the Ministry and Elian was out shopping. Draco and Blaise were similarly busy with their homework, shooing him away when he'd refused to sit down with them and complete his own.

Therefore, he decided instead to seek out his Sisters and inform them, embarrassingly, about his pregnancy. They were fourteen and eleven now, knowing of the ways of the world, unlike his younger siblings who would simply believe he became spontaneously pregnant.

"What do you want?"

" 'Hello, Harry. How are you, my darling, loving older brother-' "

"Hi, Harry. What?"

Harry tutted at his sister's bluntness, ignoring Daisy's giggling to the side. "Well, I was going to lead up to it in a nicer way, but I'm pregnant. You're going to be aunties. Congratulations. Or to me as well, I guess."

Liana's jaw dropped dramatically, and Daisy's eyes bugged almost comically. "You're what?!"

"No way!"

Harry smiled at their surprise, his grin growing wider as they bundled into him, hugging him tightly as they congratulated him. 

His family was now told, as were his friends, and he now felt content to simply focus on his mates and school until it was time for his first scan.

Chapter Text

October 31st, 1997- Friday  

Today, Harry noted, was Halloween. If Tom hadn't had the date circled on their calendar, he doubted he would have remembered, or even taken note until he was in the Great Hall, where the Halloween Feast was currently underway.  

The festivities of the day had long lost their spark to him the past few years, but he wondered how his Mum and Dad were celebrating it with Dylan and Peony. He could imagine their enthusiastic reactions to all the decorations and fancy dress, his dad always going all out with piles of cobwebs and bowls filled with sweets. Harry mourned not being there to see what would likely be his baby brother's first memory of the holiday or to see Peony's now that she was a little older.  

Still, he was sure his parents would take lots of photos, as they had for him and his sisters when they were younger. There were books full of them, although they had become scarce once Harry became a teenager and began to shy away from the camera, as his sisters currently were.  

Today also marked Harry's third week of pregnancy, or twenty-one days since he conceived. It felt insane to him that he was already nearly a month along, especially since he'd recently been reading up on entries about Creature pregnancies to gain more knowledge. Harry knew he really should have started doing so before he got pregnant, but his heat cycle had been so unexpectedly fast that he'd barely noticed the few months go by.  

Studies and personal accounts showed that Creature born children of the sturdier species, the Dragonborn and wixen, could be born as early as five or so months nowadays due to advancements in technology and medicine. That was a terrifying thought to him but relieving all the same.  

He could give birth in a matter of four months to a lifelong commitment that he felt wholly unprepared for. That would be around early March, so he'd have a newborn or more to take care of during his exams. But it also meant a closer date to viability, one of his worries with the increase in miscarriages and stillbirths in the Creature community, especially in the longer-lived species. It was one of the main reasons their population was decreasing so rapidly over the past several hundred years or so, despite their lifespan.  

A few hundred years ago, the average Fae Submissive, no matter which species they were mated to, barring shorter-lived species and Vampires, had over, or on their way to one hundred children by the time they were ten thousand. In contrast, it was predicted nowadays that Fae born after the year 1700 would have less than fifty.  

Harry hoped that fate was on his side, and he had just the one baby for now, preferably one with a gestational period that would take him past graduation, but that he would have many more in the future. The sound of a large family was always a dream for him, although perhaps not as large as Creature families were. Did Elian even know all his Nieces and Nephews?  

"Are you ready to head down for the feast, Harry?" Elian gently shook his shoulder, startling him out of his thoughts. He resumed tying the laces of his shoes.  

"Yeah, let's go. Where're the others?" He noticed abruptly the silence of the room, looking around to spot the missing shoes of his mates.  

"They headed down when you were thinking. I didn't want to startle you, but they wanted to make sure there was enough food left." He explained, huffing in amusement when Harry grabbed him and jogged out of the room. "I'm sure there's plenty, they're just in a mood. If they understood more about Fae, they'd know you won't get too violent with them."  

Harry stopped in his tracks and turned to face Elian with an incredulous eyebrow raised. "What do you mean 'violent'? When have I ever been violent?"  

"You're pregnant. Pregnant Creatures see it as a slight if their mates aren't able to provide them with the foods they want, although that's more prevalent in Dragonborn and Vampire." He hummed. "And it's too early for that to begin, anyway."  

"I hope it doesn't at all!" Harry breathed, beginning his march to the hall once more, now focused on the way his stomach grumbled. He heard Elian huff out a chuckle as he followed behind him steadily.  

By now, he was used to the stares of the other students as he arrived with his mate and sat at the Slytherin table, ignoring the more disapproving, pointed ones of the Gryffindors who saw that particular move as 'traitorous'.  

He'd show just how 'traitorous' he was when he won them the quidditch Cup for the seventh year in a row.  

"Can you pass me the spuds?"  

"Potatoes." Draco futilely injected, all too used to the 'muggle slang' his Mum had taught him. If only he heard the things his dad and Godfather came up with at the dinner table, he'd think Harry's slang more tolerable. He was passed the bowl of parsnips and potatoes by the man, who looked at him in disgust when he began to mash them, shovelling a fork full into his mouth with a contented hum of appreciation.  

"Manners, Harry."  

"Careful you don't choke on that."  

" 'm not a ba'y." He muffled from behind his mouthful, ignoring the looks of disgust sent his way.  

"That's disgusting, Potter!" However, he couldn't quite ignore the shriek of Parkinson, who sat next to Draco. She was trying her hardest to snuggle into his side, only stopped by his hand pushing her away. Harry frowned.  

"Stop touching my mate,  that's  disgusting." He spat, reaching for his drink. He eyed her as she huffed, turning her nose up at him, and shifted closer to his mate once again.  

Pansy, pretty much since their childhood, had been enamoured with the idea of being with Draco, marrying him and becoming the next Lady Malfoy, and up until a few months ago, he would've said she had a good chance. She was pretty, her family were extraordinarily rich, and she had been trained since birth to handle the matters of a Lady. He was sure she was one of the candidates the Malfoy's were discussing.  

However, now, Draco was  his , and Harry wouldn't stand for it.  

"Pansy, please get off of me." Draco drawled in that smooth, disinterested tone he used outside of the confines of their rooms. She simply looked up at him with wide, brown eyes, and he sighed. "Pansy-"  

"Miss Parkinson," Came Tom's smooth, but menacing voice from his side, and Harry froze at the menace injected into those words. The hand holding his cup shook slightly, and he frowned, placing it down with a thud. "If you would remove yourself from our mate, you are acting unsightly."   

Harry looked at him then, feeling a chill run down his spine as his face heated up at the expression the man was wearing. His eyes screamed of destruction, but all Harry could feel was attraction as he observed the way his jaw clenched. He barely paid attention to the way Parkinson quickly pulled away, babbling nonsense as she scooted further down the bench. Harry was far too absorbed in staring at his mate.  

Tom's eyes flitted to him then, and his lips twitched up into a breath-taking smile. Harry made a strangled noise in the back of his throat, snapping around to face Blaise on his other side instead. The boy looked equally enamoured with Tom but looked down to grace him with a teasing smirk.  

The feast ended on a high note, with Harry snatching up a bowl of sweets to take back with him. He was dragged, practically buzzing, back up the flights of stairs and into their rooms and plonked onto the sofa by Tom. He then disappeared momentarily, reappearing with a fancily wrapped box in his hands.  

"What's this for?" Harry asked as Tom passed him the box, watching as Blaise and Draco seemed to have a moment of realisation and rushed off to the room.  

Tom smiled, tapping it. "A Samhain gift."  

"We were supposed to get each other gifts?" Harry asked reedily, feeling a slight flush of embarrassment at not having anything to give in return. Similarly, by his side, Elian looked at a loss.  

"No, of course not. I know neither of you celebrates Samhain, so I'm not expecting anything, and I doubt Draco or Blaise are either. I simply wished to share this celebration with you."  

"But I still feel like I should have done something..."  

Draco entered the room with a frown. "No, you shouldn't have. Don't feel as if it's an obligation just because we celebrate it. I never buy you one of those Eggs for Easter, and I'm sure Elian also has some Fae festivals in mind that we don't celebrate."  

"Ah, yes, like the  Sword Dance Festival !" Elian turned to him. "I bet you'd like it!"  

"What did you just say?"  

Harry translated it since the man had spoken in Fair tongue. "He said Sword Dance Festival. What's that about?"  

"All mated Fae flock to the streets of the City and dance either alone or with their Fae mates to showcase their talents with swords and magic! It's incredibly fun, it's the busiest the City ever is! All non-Fae can only watch, but they'll still be down in the action. Da and Ma decided to do it last year, Father and Mother were so annoyed!" He explained happily, and Harry felt enthused just listening about it.  

"It sounds fun, when is it?"  

He awkwardly smiled. "It's a bit hard to explain, but basically, it's whenever there's a certain feel to the day? Last year, it was on the third of June, but before that, it didn't happen for seven years straight, and the last time was in February!"  

Tom tilted his head, that knowledge-thirsty look in his eyes. "And what does a right day 'feel' like?"  

"It just...does? I don't know, I couldn't feel it because I wasn't mated yet, but my da said it felt like someone was tugging at his wings and leading him out onto the streets,"  

"Huh. Cool." Feeling better now, Harry started opening Tom's present, feeling bad that he tore right through the obviously expensive wrapping paper. In it was an ornate wooden box with snakes etched into it, their eyes gleaming emeralds. He searched for a seal to open it, frowning when he couldn't spot one. "Does it not open?"  

Tom gave him a wink, leaning down, and hissed at the box. " Open. "  

A seal appeared, and Harry opened up the box, his eyes widening at its contents. A locket sat at the centre, a gleaming piece with a bold 'S' covering its face. He picked it up with a noise of fascination.  

To the side, Blaise and Draco choked. "Is that Slytherin's locket?!"  

Tom side-eyed them. "Well, I am Lord Slytherin. And as the one I am mated to; it is only right that Harry should take ownership of it now as Lord Consort." He looked into his eyes searchingly. "Do you accept it?"  

Harry stroked the locket thoughtfully, turning the thought around in his mind. "Yeah, it's pretty." Tom carefully plucked it from his fingers and clasped it around his neck, hissing again.  

" Close. " He stepped back, admiring the view of Harry sitting on the sofa, wearing his family's heirloom. "It suits you." He smiled up at Tom sweetly, and he felt a bubble of fondness grow in his chest.  

Draco placed his box, larger than the other, next to Harry, and gestured for him to open it. "I know you don't wear stuff like this often, but you needed something more formal."  

Harry gave his mate a sceptical look and opened up the box, lifting an eyebrow at the fancy robes within. "I have plenty of robes, formal and all."  

"Not something that has all of our Family Crests on it. As the heir to Potter and Black, the mate of the current Lord Slytherin, the mate to the heirs of Zabini and my house, and also the mate to a Prince, this is definitely needed."  

Harry flipped the robe over then and traced the delicate golden lines of their conjoined crests, mouth opening in awe. Within it were several serpentine creatures, characteristics of the Slytherin and Malfoy crests, precious gems that Harry vaguely remembered seeing on Blaise's necklace, bright golden wings that he guessed symbolised the Luwynn's, two crows flying in the background for the House of Black and the cauldron prominent on the Potter's crest dead in the centre. "Wow, it's beautiful!"  

"Do you like it?"  

"It's lovely Draco, thanks!"  

Blaise passed him the smallest box after he tucked the robe nicely back in its box. Harry opened it carefully, hearing a slight rattling from within. A pair of Amethyst earrings glittered back at him, each in the shape of a teardrop. When he looked up at Blaise, the man seemed shy.  

"They're from my personal horde."  

"Your...horde?"  

He fiddled with his fingers in an uncharacteristic move. "They're treasures that I bought myself after I was told I was a Dragonborn."  

Harry looked down at the earrings in a new light. "They're very beautiful, but... my ears aren't pierced."  

"Oh, a few of my nieces do piercings! I can take you to get some one day if you want." Elian perked up from his side.  

Remembering his earlier thought, Harry questioned the man. "Can you remember their names?"  

Elian frowned at him. "Of course, I can, they're my darling nieces, I don't have too many of them. All my siblings had mostly boys."  

"Then, it's a date."  

3rd November 1997- Monday  

Monday's classes were cancelled for the first Quidditch match of the year, Gryffindor versus Slytherin. Harry had been training all throughout the summer and with his team on training days for this, but as soon as his mates saw him dressed in his uniform, scowls formed on their faces, despite Draco and Blaise being dressed similarly.  

"Absolutely not."  

Harry frowned, picking up his broom. "What do you mean? I'm the Captain and the Seeker, I've gotta play."  

"Get Weasley to take over, haven't you been training her to replace you?"  

Harry rolled his eyes, tutting. "That's for when I'm further along and literally incapable of flying, but for now-"  

"Harry, you're pregnant, are you really going to put that in danger for a sport?" Draco scowled, and Harry crossed his arms defiantly.  

"I won't be in danger, I've never been hit before, you know I haven't. Besides-"  

"But what if you are? What if it hits you, and it hurts not only you, but the babies as well?"  

"I'll be careful, and besides-"  

"But how can you assure that you will be-"  

"Because I've already talked this through with Dumbledore and he's allowed there to be a ward covering that area to protect the baby! Do you think I'm that stupid, Draco? I wouldn't put myself in harm's if I had any doubt, it could end my pregnancy. I'm the Submissive, I've got the hardwiring for this kind of worrying!" Harry interrupted with a hiss, glaring at the others when they shifted behind Draco. The man seemed to deflate slightly hearing that, although Harry could still see his clear need to continue the argument. "Draco, it'll be fine, there are wards and everything, and if worse comes to worst, I'll flunk the game to cover myself in magic."  

Draco licked his lips, an anxious tick of his, and sighed, tilting his head back. "This is so dangerous, but  fine ."  

"I'll also put a ward up around you," Tom stepped forward. "I don't trust Dumbledore's to hold, but I can trust my own."  

"If It can convince you to let me play, you can put any wards you want up." The glint that appeared in Tom's eyes afterwards made Harry regret his words.  

In the end, he managed to convince them all, happily joining up with his team in the changing rooms, although from their ever-present scowls, they'd done so incredibly grudgingly.  

"Alright guys, you know the game plan. Score points, don't get hit, and-"  

"Leave it to Harry to catch the snitch and bring us glory." Ginny interrupted with a saccharine smile. "Make sure to keep out of his way, don't crash into each other, keep to the game tactics, and let's beat those slimy Slytherins for the seventh year in a row!"  

They cheered in unison, Harry joining in with the infectious rambunctiousness. They were still wearing joyful smiles when they walked onto the pitch, met with a chorus of cheers and boos from the stadium.   

Harry smiled at Madam Hooch, shook Urquart's hand with as much strength as was given, and then backed up into position.  

The stadium went silent for those few, tense seconds before the match began, and Harry locked eyes with Tom and Elian sat in the stands. He smiled at Elian's exuberant wave, before searching for Blaise. He was nearer to the back of the Slytherin team, staring at him with bright purple eyes. Draco was closer, and Harry could make out the tense line of his shoulders and the way he watched Harry as if he were going to collapse at any moment.  

The whistle was blown, and Harry shot up into the air, reaching the top of the stadium and beyond within a few moments. He whooped giddily at the rush, feeling the wings beneath his skin vibrate in glee at the sound of wind rushing in his ears. He happily swooped a few times, minding not to throw himself into the movements too suddenly, before changing into a sedate glide. His eyes sharpened as they darted about, looking for the snitch but also keeping a lookout for any bludgers coming his way. Nearly on the opposite side of the pitch, Draco was zigzagging, also looking out for it.  

"And it's off to a cracking start for Gryffindor as Weasley scores a quick goal under the nose of Slytherin's goalie!"  

Harry grinned, not chancing a look down. He could trust his team, all he needed to do was catch the snitch.  

"And Zabini evens out the scores with a sizzling shot!"  

It was a while yet until, out of the corner of his eye, Harry spotted a glint of gold whizz past, just out of reach. He leant closer to his broom and shot off on its tail, grinning as he heard the tell tail sounds of someone chasing after him. A quick glance back confirmed it to be Draco with a serious look on his face.  

Focusing back on the snitch, Harry swerved to avoid the stands, delighting in the oohs and ahhs that followed his display of control. He zipped after the snitch, never losing nor gaining ground, and followed it as it shot up high and dropped down low, looping around the poles and stands with ease.   

The snitch zipped to the side suddenly, rearing off to the right in a bid to throw him off, and Harry reached out a quick hand to snatch it out of the air, crowing in delight as it fluttered in his palm, echoed by the cheers of his team and fellow Gryffindors when they noticed.  

"And Harry Potter catches the Snitch! Gryffindor wins the first match of the year, 210:60!"  

Draco smiled gently as Harry flew about happily, the bright grin on his face infectious. He felt his heart lurch as one of his teammates glomped him in celebration, but by Harry's steadfast delighted grin, it hadn't done any damage. Draco trusted that his Creature instincts would protect him and warn them if the Fae was in any distress.  

Blaise sidled up to him then, skin slightly glistening with exertion. He had scored five out of Slytherin's six goals. "He looks happy." He commented, watching as Harry span with the Weasley girl, smiling happily at her once she pulled back. "You should-"  

"I know, Blaise."  

12th November 1997- Wednesday  

Harry felt his stomach suddenly lurch violently as he took in the scent of the kitchen, feeling lightheaded as the blood drained from his face.  

Elian, who was busy mixing a cake batter looked over at him and frowned. "Harry? Are you alright? You've gone pa- Harry!"  

Bolting, he hurried for the bathroom, pushing past Blaise on the way.  

"What-"  

He bent over the sink and chucked up what felt like every meal he'd eaten in the past week in a violent heave. Harry groaned as he felt his throat sting and eyes water, even the soft hands rubbing circles on his back ineffective to the discomfort he was feeling.  

"Elian's coming with some water, Harry." Blaise softly soothed, a hand moving up to brush the hair away from his sweaty forehead.  

He was too busy dry heaving to take much notice of the man's efforts, but just his presence was enough to ground him as his stomach protested once more. He groaned again, pitying himself as his stomach rolled.  

It felt like hours until he was finally able to peel himself away from the sink, and then he was quickly swooped up and deposited on the sofa with a sick bowl and one of his mates within reaching distance at all times.  

Hands touched his forehead occasionally, as well as helping him sit up whenever he made a panicked noise and held him soothingly as he threw up repeatedly, feeling drained and shivering as if he was freezing by the end of it.  

"It's alright Harry, I'm sure this'll be over soon."  

Chapter Text

14th November 1997- Friday

It was not fine.

Harry's morning sickness was horrendous from the moment it began. It would be a lie to even call it morning sickness. From the instant he woke up, to when he attempted to go to sleep, if he even could manage that, his stomach was protesting, and he was rushing for the bathroom.

He had woken up this morning worse than usual, not even managing to grab the sick bowl in time.

Through tears, he apologised profusely to Tom, who'd come rushing into the room when he heard his retching, as he waved his wand to clear away the mess. The apology was grossly interrupted as he had to yet again hunch over, but the man was at least there to rub his back soothingly through his pain.

"Shush Harry, this is all fine. It's normal, and we have no issue with it." He had comforted him, but that did little for Harry's worries. He had cried a little to himself when Tom had rushed off to get him a drink and some tablets, lulling despondently on his arms.

To make matters worse, and Harry even more miserable, today was Blaise's birthday, and he couldn't even congratulate the man without heaving.

Blaise had simply reassured him with his calm voice, convincing him to lay back down so they could cuddle instead. Through sniffles, Harry had told the man how he'd been planning to bake him a cake so that it'd be fresh for tonight. Now, it seemed his plans were ruined. He couldn't even move from the bed, head feeling as heavy as a rock where it lay resting on Blaise's shoulder.

"I don't mind, I'm content just to spend my time with you."

"But you shouldn't have to, it's your birthday." Harry croaked, leaning into Blaise's hand when he rested it on his cheek, turning his head to stare into the man's deep, purple eyes.

"There are plenty more hours in the day, I am perfectly content to share a few hours with my sickly mate."

"M'not sickly." Harry had refuted, glaring weakly when Blaise shook the both of them with his soft laughter.

"Sorry, sorry. My very not-sick mate, who is simply enjoying cuddling with me."

He smiled feebly. "It's this damn morning sickness. Didn't think it'd be this bad." His words began to slur at the end of his sentence, and Blaise made a concerned noise.

"Neither did I. Sleep, Harry. You need rest, both for you and the baby."

Harry hummed, not even bothering to respond further as his eyes closed heavily, drifting quickly off into a dreamless and deep sleep.

He felt fresher in the afternoon, enough so to brave making that cake once Blaise, Draco and Tom had left. They had gone to meet up with their friends for the afternoon as none of them had lessons, and Tom had something to do at the Ministry. Harry himself had sent down word to Professor McGonagall that he'd be missing her class. 

Harry had Elian helping him, taking over the parts that made him feel queasy, such as cracking and mixing in the eggs and pouring the batter into the cake tin.

It was going to be far off of the two-tier, perfectly decorated beauty he'd been planning, but Harry wanted something to give to his mate, even if it was a simple one. It was purple and silver, a bit on the nose as it was the colour of his mate's eyes and scales, but it looked sophisticated enough. Harry decorated it with piped flowers and a swirly '18' in the middle, stepping back to admire it once he was done.

Elian looked over his shoulder, making a noise of intrigue. "Making cake to celebrate someone's day of birth is a foreign tradition to me. Why do wizards do it?"

Harry hummed. "I'm not too sure, they taste nice? My Mum always makes one for my and my siblings' birthdays, so it could be a Muggle tradition, but I know many wizarding families who also make them. Ah!" He slapped the man's hand as he reached forward to swipe a dollop of the cake. "That's for Blaise, no touching!"

Elian pouted, his golden wings fluttering behind him. It entranced Harry for a second, and he felt himself sway momentarily before catching himself inconspicuously. "Do I get a cake on my birthday?"

Harry patted his cheek fondly. "You all will. Although I feel I'll have to start up my own bakery in the future to keep up with the amount of birthdays and cakes we'll be needing."

He covered the cake with the lid of a cake tray, more to stop Elian's wandering hands than anything else. The man had whined further about his lack of trust but followed him eagerly when he headed to the bedroom.

"Do you want to rest some more? We can cuddle."

Tired from baking and disgruntled about it, Harry eagerly accepted the offer, and Elian practically dove under the covers, wings fluttering happily. Harry laughed at the sight, especially when he eagerly patted the space beside him.

"Hurry up!"

Harry snorted, clambering onto the bed, squawking when he was dragged bodily under the covers and wrapped snuggly in the man's arms. He huffed a little, but soon settled down, relaxing in such a safe and warm hold.

"This is okay, right?" Elian received no response. Worried he'd done something wrong, he looked anxiously over his mate's shoulder. "Harry?"

The younger Fae had his eyes closed and was breathing deeply, obviously asleep. Elian let out a breath of relief, staring at the sweet sight for a few more moments, before shuffling back to plant his head on his mate's shoulder."

"G'night."

After his afternoon nap with Elain, Harry had felt refreshed and raring to go once his other mates arrived back in their rooms after their days.

He'd blitzed their rooms, tidying up the kitchen, bedroom and bathroom, before moving onto the front room. His three wayward mates entered from the floo and the door to see him attacking the sofa with a hoover, hissing slightly when Draco went to sit on it.

His mate huffed, looking pompous. "Can I not sit on my own sofa after a busy day? Parkinson was terribly persistent today, Blaise almost threw her out of the room."

Harry, a flare of humour running through him, waved the nozzle of the hoover at the man, who backed off with a yelp.

"Harry, stop being a dolt!"

It was plucked out of his hand by Blaise, who he simply huffed at. "I was having fun with that!"

"Why are you even using it? Using magic would be so much easier."

"Physically cleaning makes me feel more accomplished. I can see if I've missed anything. Anyway, cleaning charms aren't really my fort."

"It's forte." The man corrected, dragging the hoover and shoving it haphazardly into the cupboard. It rankled Harry to see his work already coming undone, but that spark of temper was mollified quickly as Blaise came back, wrapping his arms around his waist and placing a chaste kiss on the juncture of his neck. "I missed you."

"You say that every day." Harry layed his head on Blaise's black hair, pleased to note it smelled of the man's characteristic lavender, a hint of smoke just barely present. He had noticed that was the signature smell of Dragonborn's, although there was a slight difference between Blaise's and others of his kind Harry had met so far.

Thomas' scent of berries and blood wafted over him then, and Harry craned his head back, yelping slightly as the man's lips met his. He hummed, melting into the kiss, disappointed when his mate drew back after only a few seconds.

"I hope your day has been better than earlier." Tom's voice was deep and husky, a sign that he'd been raising his voice. Probably at incompetent ministry workers and Lords.

"Mmh, I had a nap with Elian. My stomach's settled now."

"That's good," Blaise's arms retreated from his waist, and Harry was unsettled for all of a second before his full attention was captured by Tom steering him towards the sofa. "Are we having dinner here tonight?"

"Yeah," Harry made to remain standing, remembering the dish in the oven. "I made a pie. Elian helped a bit, but the veg still needs to be done." His wrist was yanked slightly, keeping him on the sofa. Instead, Elian got up with a nod and headed into the kitchen.

"Relax, Harry. If you made the pie, then let someone else deal with the other things. You need rest."

"I'm fine now," Harry huffed. "I said I had a nap in the afternoon."

"And the fact that you had a nap tells me that you aren't feeling perfect." Tom's tone left no room for argument, so, with a huff, Harry settled down to listen to the chattering of his mates, chiming in every so often. Mostly, however, he was content to observe, his eyes growing droopy as he drifted off into a light sleep.

Disturbing the peace of the evening, the floo flared with an incoming call. Startled out of his doze, Harry's wings flared slightly, his instincts feeling extra touchy now that his pregnancy had progressed past the first month. He felt disorientated, but a calming touch to his back, Draco, soothed him slightly. Blaise stood, the closest to the floo, and answered it.

"Blaise, my birthday boy! Happy birthday, Darling!" Came the strong voice of Lady Zabini, and the tension that had descended on the room dissipated instantly. Harry's wings retreated hesitantly back to his sides, and he snuggled back into Draco's embrace, which he had apparently shuffled into during his sleep.

"Mother, this is later than I expected." Blaise drawled, but he was obviously happy to receive her call.

"I didn't want to interrupt your day, so I thought I'd call later on. How have you been?"

"Well, Mother. I am glad this is my last year at Hogwarts, however. Next year, I can enjoy my birthday without having to spend it stuck in a castle."

The pair of them conversed for a little while longer, before Blaise's Mother was called away by a voice in the background, sounding impatient. "Antonella, we need to leave! That reservation was hard to get, if we're late it will be a waste!"

The woman sighed, rolling her eyes in exasperation. "I have to go, my sweet. Pierre is whining, and I so do hate to make him wait." She spat this out sarcastically, giving her son a sardonic grin, which he matched nastily.

"Enjoy your time, Mother."

"Happy birthday, darling!"

Blaise sighed as he drew away from the floo. Harry grinned down at his kneeling form as he met his eyes. "Sounds like the new stepfather isn't going to last long."

He smirked. "Ah, they never do. My mother is an acquired taste, I doubt anyone out there could match her. Even I struggle sometimes, and she raised me in her likeness."

"And that's why I don't drink what you make." Draco rolled his eyes, patting down a stray strand of Harry's hair, tutting when it just sprang straight back up.

"How are the rest of your family? Are they as bold as your mother?" Harry questioned, batting away Draco's hands as they snagged on a knotted piece.

Blaise hummed. "I've only really had steady communication with my maternal grandparents and my Uncle, and they all match each other pretty well. My direct family isn't that big, in Creature terms. There's me and Mother, and then there's my Father, but I don't have much contact with him nor his side. My Mother is one of five kids, although only Uncle Lueis is still living," Harry sucked in a breath, and Blaise smiled slightly at him. "Childhood was far more difficult when they were born. Five is quite a low number, comparably, although my Grandparents are still well within their fertile years, so I'll probably still gain some more Uncles and Aunts yet. Anyway, my Grandparents don't really hold contact with their siblings and parents, but I know there are quite a few of them on my Grandmother's side. There are also my Vampire relatives, from my Grandfather, but I've only met them a couple of times when I was younger, although they send me gifts every year. They're the ones who gifted me the book on blood magic."

"It's a good thing me and Draco have relatively small families in comparison, although, Tom?" He looked at the man questioningly.

"I have a few family members, although they are of little relation to me, as I only directly descend from Grandfather. I converse with them sparsely, the last time one directly visited was when I was newly inherited." He smiled sharply. "You don't have to worry about bothering with learning more names, just my Grandfather's is important."

"I'm glad, Elian's family is...daunting." Harry grimaced slightly with a laugh, thinking about the multiple in-laws he had yet to meet.

Elian wryly chuckled as well. "At least I'm the last of my parents' children. My siblings however are still adding to the count of my nephews and nieces by the year. Even I haven't met all of them, or remember some of their names, so I wouldn't worry too much. You'll have many years to learn."

The timer on the oven 'dinged' then, and Harry practically leapt off the sofa, sliding into the kitchen. He flung open the oven door, practically collapsing in relief when he pulled out a perfectly golden pie and not the burnt mass he'd been expecting.

"I turned it down when I realised you were going to need some more rest," Tom spoke from the doorway. "The veg is also fine, so there's no need to worry that Blaise's birthday dinner has been ruined."

"You absolute darling," Harry reflexively thanked him, placing the pie on the side to let it cool a little. He flushed when he heard his mate draw in a sharp breath, and turned quickly, tea towel still covering his hands. "Oh Merlin, I'm-"

"Did you just call Tom a 'Darling'?!" Elian gasped breathlessly, and Harry swore his blush deepened from the heat he could feel radiating off his ears. He looked up at the man in question, grimacing slightly, only for his jaw to drop at seeing a similarly slawjawed expression on the Vampire's face.

It made him feel even worse, stumbling over a random vomit of words that made no sense. His other mates had crowded behind Tom to make matters worse, watching the scene unfold.

In the time it took for Harry to stop talking, Tom had composed himself, face stonily blank. "I'm- Thank you. I will make sure that the table is clear." He nodded sharply, turned on his heel, pushed past the others, and exited the kitchen.

Harry noted how the very tips of his ears were pink, and elected to keep the nickname under wraps until he could assess his mates' feelings towards it better.

16th November 1997- Sunday

Harry's pregnancy sickness was still going strong by Sunday evening, and Draco and Elian were beginning to show their colours as the mother-hens of their mateship.

"Are you sure you don't want another tea?"

"Elian, I have one in my hand. You made it for me ten minutes ago." Harry sighed in exasperation, watching as his mate wrang his hands. He was practically bouncing with energy, and it was making Harry feel dizzy.

"But I bet it's cold and basically gone by now, right? Don't you want a fresh one?"

"No, I'm fine. Maybe I'll have another a bit later."

"How about a blanket? You must be cold, the weather's dropping a lot recently."

"I'm pregnant, I'm not sick. Besides, I'm feeling perfectly content right now, and watching you and Draco working yourselves up into a tizzy is actually making me feel more ill than anything."

Draco had been dragged off into the bedroom by Tom when he had started to get a bit pushy with him, and they had been in there for a little while by now. It was nearly time to go to bed, and Harry, despite his curiosity, just wanted to crawl into bed and sleep, perhaps with a warm drink in his hand to settle in.

Actually...

"Can you make that cup of tea? I want to drink it in bed." Harry had barely finished his sentence before Elian's face lit up and he dashed for the kitchen. The kettle began to boil moments later, and Harry relaxed back into the sofa with a sigh, feeling his eyes droop a little.

"Do you think you're going to finish that tea, or are you going to drop it again?" Blaise asked quietly, his voice revealing his equal drowsiness.

Harry had fallen asleep whilst drinking a tea the night before, and had been rudely awoken by Draco's squawking about changing the sheets. Needless to say, none of them had ended up falling asleep on good terms with each other, although they had all still crowded around him in the morning as he hunched over in the bathroom feeling mightily sorry for himself.

"Mmh." Harry simply hummed in response, his eyes barely open. He drifted off to the methodical sounds of Elain clinking cups in the kitchen.

"I've made you your- Hey, Harry-"

19th November 1997- Wednesday

Peony turned six today, a fact which Harry and his mates were rudely reminded of when a talking envelope burst into their room at five in the morning, her high-pitched voice screaming out of it.

"It's my birthday! Happy, happy! Happy, happy! It's my birthday, woop woop!" It continued to repeat as it flew around the room until Tom shot a red curse at it that blew it into the wall. Surprisingly, it was still intact, although thankfully no longer making any noise.

"What the fuck." Draco uncharacteristically deadpanned, voice heavy with sleep.

Harry groaned, debating whether to turn over and continue dozing, but as he closed his eyes, he found himself unable to relax. With a sigh, he sat up and swung his legs out of the covers, a whoosh of cold air dosing Blaise and Elian who were on either side of him. They grumbled, glaring up at him with identical expressions of discontent, and Harry snorted.

"Happy, happy." He mimicked, treading carefully on the cold floor to pick up their alarm clock for the morning.

"How did that thing even get in here? There's tons of wards, for Merlin's sake!" Draco was still awake and grumbling, squinting down at the bottom of the bed, white hair a mess. The sneer on his face was almost cute, although his steely grey eyes promised death on the sender of the letter.

Harry waved the letter at him teasingly. "Dad." He simply stated, sitting on the end of the bed and ripping the letter open. Harry regretted it instantly as an explosion of golden glitter covered him and his surroundings, yelping as the sound of his sister's voice started up again.

"It's my birthday! Happy, hap-" The letter was ripped out of his hands, this time by a neon-orange spell that sent it onto the floor and continued to bash into it until it dispelled after a few violent seconds. Harry blinked, seeing golden.

He huffed, a swirly cloud of glitter making his breath visible. "I hate birthdays."

They entered the Creature Studies classroom, each of them bleary-eyed, with matching scowls that revealed their mood. Well, Harry said all of them, which was untrue as, despite the early morning, Tom looked as perfect and put together as ever. Harry spitefully thought to ruffle his flawlessly styled hair a little bit before they'd exited their rooms, but the man's stare had been enough to forego that idea.

"Settle, everyone, please!" Professor Hendrix was as bright and chipper as ever, and despite his mood, Harry felt himself grinning slightly at her obvious enthusiasm. "Today, I will be discussing with you the various celebrations that occur within Creature Society. Instead of talking at you, I wish for this to be more like a discussion, so we may start wherever you are comfortable. Please, fire away!"

There were a few awkward seconds of silence, in which Professor Hendrix's grin didn't waver in the slightest until Terry Boot raised a hesitant hand. The Professor's gaze snapped to him, which caused the man to shrink back a little, hand whipping down, but he had already drawn her attention.

"Yes, Mr Boot?"

"Um, I, um," He hesitated, drawing in a deep breath. "Dragonborns' celebrations mostly happen within the summer months, when it's warmer. We enjoy the heat." He practically squeaked out under the attention, and Hendrix's clap made him practically jump out of his skin.

"And what celebrations are these?" The Professor questioned, fondly looking at the younger Dragonborn, who squirmed.

"Um, well, I've heard of the Festival of Flame, which sounds cool." He mumbled.

She smiled, sharp teeth on display but not threatening. "It is very 'cool', indeed! One of the many events is a fire-swallowing competition, where the fire the contestants eat grows hotter with every round. I participated back in my youth and only got as far as the third round. I wouldn't promote it to those so young, but perhaps when you are older, I persuade you to join in."

"How much older?" Ernie Macmillan piped in, looking excited.

"Oh, definitely when you're over fifty. You won't have a chance at getting past the first round younger than that. Even then, your fire resistance will still be developing, you start having a chance at winning once you hit your three-hundredth year. The youngest winner was Carmen Javan, who was just ten years older than that. She's a good friend of mine. Now, a celebration I do implore you all to attend, which isn't limited to Dragonborns, is the annual festival celebrating all the new Dragonborns who've inherited during the year. It is a wonderful experience, and there's little to no fire involved, so it's a family occasion."

"Are there any big celebrations such as that for the minor Creature's?" Lavender questioned, tapping her nails.

Professor Hawthorne leant back on her desk, humming. "I'm not as familiar with celebrations such as ones held by Were's, Elves, Mer's and other Minor Creatures, but I know of some of them. I was invited to a Mer celebration once, that was, that was...yeah, there was a lot of water and drinking involved." She cleared her throat, moving swiftly on from that memory. "The Dryads hold fancy celebrations, usually held in their section of the Fae realm. I've only vaguely seen one, my friend dragged me in on business, but it all seems very proper."

"The other Dryads I've met so far," Daphne Greengrass spoke in a hesitant voice that grew stronger as she went on. "Have seemed to match that description."

Harry blinked at her, finally connecting what Creature she was to her physical attributes. The deer-like antlers, green streaks in her hair, the vaguely familiar scent she emitted, Harry should have guessed she was a Creature from the Fae realm.

"A proper lot, yeah." Professor Hendrix nodded. "Now, any other celebrations you have heard of and want to know more about? If I don't have the answer, I can always find out or point you in the right direction for personal research. And don't forget, you are always welcome to reach out to your respective lower Councils for any queries. Creatures always help each other out, no matter how inconsequential you may believe your question is."

24th November 1997- Monday

Draco came into the bedroom gripping a letter tightly in his hands. Curious, Harry sat up, peering at the golden envelope he had yet to open, continuing to stare at it instead.

"What's that?" He asked after the man still made no move to read it.

Draco sighed, looking slightly resigned. "A letter from the Boread Council," To his left, Tom made an inquisitive noise, placing his book down finally. They were all in bed, waiting for Draco to finish checking on the wards until he had come wandering into the room. "It's only just arrived."

"Ooh, the Boread Council? They only send out letters for important events." Elian perked up, climbing closer, disturbing Blaise who had yet to move from his cocoon of blankets.

"I know." Draco sat on the edge of the bed, slicing open the letter and pulling it out of the envelope. Even the parchment was tinted gold, with fancy patterns of leaves decorating the edges. He cleared his throat. 

"Greetings,

Mr Malfoy, we, the Boread Grand Council, sincerely congratulate you on your induction into the mateship of the Fae, Harry Potter. The Boread Council welcomes this news warmly, and wishes you and your mates the best in your future endeavours.

This letter is to inform you that, as celebration for this momentous occasion, especially for the current youngest of our kind, we will be hosting a meeting within the Council Halls to welcome your mateship into our fold. It would please us greatly if you could attend, as the celebration places you as the guests of honour. 

The decided date, as of now, is set for the nineteenth of December, beginning after noon. Please contact us, no matter your answer, and if the date is unsuitable, we may reschedule at your convenience.

Sincerely,

Jakob Hemming, 6th Elder of the Boread Grand Council."

Elian whistled. "They must have gotten a hold of the Hogwarts term timetable. They scheduled it within your Christmas break."

Blaise snorted from his relaxed position buried under the covers. "The Council's always knows everything like that. Mother says they have agents in every corner of the Magical world, and even some spread out with the most important Muggles. Are you thinking of attending, Draco?"

"This is an invitation for all of us, it will be a joint decision whether we attend or not. Although, as this is a celebration centred around us..."

"However, we must think of Harry's health," Tom spoke up. "By mid-December, Harry will be ten weeks along. His morning sickness may be worse by then."

"Don't let that affect our answer. I want to go, I'm sure we can get some anti-sickness potions by then. Besides, aren't meetings like this rare? I don't doubt the next one will be years from now."

"I'll send a reply in the morning saying that we will attend unless anything occurs between then and now."

Chapter Text

28th November 1997- Friday

"What're you doing after this then, ma- uh, Harry?" Ron blustered over the word, smiling sheepishly. "Got any plans?"

Transfiguration had just ended, with yet another hour of McGonagall ignoring him, and Harry wasn't truly in the mood for anything anymore. He was disheartened by his professors' continued cold shoulder, and with no let-up of the treatment in sight, all he wanted to do was escape the classroom fast.

"Relaxing, probably. I'm still not feeling one hundred per cent. And I'm going to make some cupcakes later tonight if I feel up to it, to snack on in the-"

"Mister Potter." McGonagall's stern voice called after him suddenly, just as Harry was heading out of her classroom. He was startled at the unexpected, stony tone, waving off Hermione and Ron as they hesitated in the doorway, promising he'd meet up with them tomorrow.

He turned back to McGonagall, the door shutting behind the last people. That left them alone, and the silence continued until Harry spoke. "Yes, Professor?"

"I wished to speak with you about your absence from class last week. I found it unacceptable that you would miss a class in such an important year." She spoke primly, shuffling with some of the papers on her desk.

Confused, Harry explained. "I informed you that I was ill, Professor."

"And yet you were not in the medical wing when I checked with Madam Pomphrey later on."

The woman sounded upset, and Harry winced. He'd never enjoyed being scolded by authority figures, especially ones he was close to such as the transfiguration Professor. However, in recent weeks, McGonagall had been unexpectedly curt with Harry, and he wondered what had changed between them.

Was his new status as a Creature really that abhorrent to her?