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Chapter Text

Elegant, refined, sophisticated, graceful, and extremely wealthy are just a few words that would describe the Malfoy family in the wizardly world. One of the oldest and most respected pureblood families that remains nowadays. With all the “modern times” and “acceptance” of the muggleborn, it’s starting to get harder and harder to find such an uncontaminated bloodline, and the world was ruled by simple facts: the purity of your blood, the power of your magic, and the last but certainly the most important one, your secondary gender. The Malfoy excelled on every fact but had a higher hierarchy in every family by the fact that for so many generations every one of the firstborns was a male dominant Alpha. 

This made the Malfoys the oldest and longer family of dominant Alphas; they always mated to dominant Omegas of wealthy families. Omegas are rare, and dominant omegas are ever rarer, but being such a distinguished family, omegas presented themselves fighting for the right to form a union.

So being the perfect example of how to be a real family. For the heirs to excel on everything, it’s just the standard of being born inside this family. So when the first and only child of Lucius Malfoy is born, he will be perfect; he will keep high the name of the family; he’ll get the best education; he'll have the best demeanor; he'll only be around the best and most influential people; he’ll get everything he needs to be on top—nothing out of the ordinary. 

He teaches his son the basic things of being an alpha, the leadership, the power he has in others, and the importance of mating an omega. But choosing the right one can be tricky; they take advantage of their little position in society, seducing alphas with their scent, claiming you are their mate, and basically being needy creatures that can’t fend for themselves unless they have someone managing their whole existence. They needed to be oppressed to submission, scented, and fucked until you knot them up every month so they could leave you alone, mindless and worthless people until they popped offspring, and even then their minds can’t think of anything else that isn’t that they need you and being scared to death for the sake of their pups. 

Basically a headache for everyone, Lucius couldn’t find a good explanation to Draco of why they couldn’t just marry them off like it used to be. Traditionally, Omegas were just homeschooled; their own family filled them with the basic knowledge—magical, historical, and political—so they weren’t completely clueless about the world, but most importantly, they taught them how to take care of their alpha; making them happy was the top priority; never questioning them; satisfying their needs whenever and wherever they say; taking their knots; and carrying their pups. That was the true meaning of being an omega—to be there when their alpha needed and showing submission to their mates only.

For an alpha to mate with an omega was to have the biggest trophy of all times; even if you were a no-one and recessive alpha, you could get yourself an omega, and your status would grow around others, as omegas were rare and sold or exchanged for valuable things. To afford an Omega and have them carry your child was enough to show off you could have the means to own someone. Back then, things were simpler. 

Now, after long years of fuzzing around themselves or whatever, omegas had rights; it mostly allowed them on any spaces; you have to take them to school and couldn’t exchange them for things, favors, money, or anything; they allowed unmated omegas to wear collars, but most times these things were ignored and are basically there to put them at ease about being heard. 

And Draco grew up into these ideals; the only omega he knew about was his mother; she smelled conforming, earthy, and like brand new parchment. But she was different; she came from the Black family, another pure blood family, and was dominant. Her family had an extensive library, and Narcisa liked to cultivate her knowledge; she knew about the arts, excelled at spells, and didn't let her omega status take over her; her presence, among others, emanated respect. That and other factors were the reason she ended up mating with Lucius.

To Draco, those things really didn’t matter at the moment; he wouldn’t present for another year or so, and ignoring all that complicated status thing was easier. Besides, if anything went as always did for his family, he would have a line of omegas waiting for him by the time he is 17 and ready to marry someone. 

If not earlier, as it was traditionally to have public courting behavior before mating to someone. At the moment he was just excited to go to school, pick up his wand, text books, and get to meet more people.

And when the news of the chosen one started to spread about his imminent attendance at Hogwarts, Lucius went on and on about it being the perfect opportunity to climb even more in this already perfect status.

Draco Malfoy needs to befriend this boy; just imagine having Harry Potter THE Harry Potter as a friend; even as an acquaintance, it will be like having wide open doors everywhere, not batting an eye on the things they say, blind and devoted followers by millions. Maybe he’s just a simple child right now, but eventually, as time passes, he’ll be a powerful and influential wizard. 

Those are the things Lucius would talk about regularly with his precious son, preparing him for the time he meets this golden child.

Draco, on the other hand, couldn’t care less about making good impressions for this chosen one. People always listen to him; they hear the Malfoy name and rush to their feet. He doesn’t need to be friends with anyone in particular to get what he wants.

But who’ll know better than his father? If this is what he needs to do, being friends with Potter, so be it. 

The summer before his first year, he’ll spend it as any other. Taking lessons, improving his quidditch skills, reading, and spending time shopping with his mother—even though he doesn’t really like browsing perfume or witch clothing, he does like the company of his mother. They don’t share much in common, so these moments are well appreciated.

But as the first day of school approaches, he can’t help getting even more excited. Exhausting off his parents ears with all the things he’ll do, he’ll say, he’ll be, and so on.

“Don’t disappoint us, Draco”  it’s the characteristic phrase his father would answer now and then when he wandered around too much on the same thing over and over. It’s the way of reminding him who he was, and that implies being a man of your word. Doing everything perfectly, saying only the right thing to get what he needs, and the most important thing: never letting anyone be better than him. Do not disappoint.

And that’s the start of his new beginning.

The last day of summer, it’s the day he gets his uniform tailored.

His mother decided to go book shopping while Madam Malkins did her work. And that's the moment someone walks in, just a scrawny boy about his age with clothes too big for him, looking around and smelling a little lost and nervous.

The shop assistant brings him to the stool next to him and starts measuring. Now and then Draco feels the intriguing gaze of the boy; he’s looking everywhere, to be honest, but even then he stares at him long enough to be noticed. 

“Are you going to Hogwarts too?” The boy asks quietly, just loud enough to register but sounding almost unsure of talking.

“Every admired wizard goes to Hogwarts; of course I’m going." He answered standing straighter and puffing his chest up. The boy only stares at him, started by his answer. He doesn’t say anything more, so Draco continues.

“I was so mad finding out that the first years can’t enter the Quidditch tryouts; can you believe it? Still, I’ll make Father buy me a racing broom." Boy just looks at him, this time confused. That's an understatement; the first time Father broke the news to him, he couldn't say a word either. It was just unbelievable.

“What, you didn’t know? I heard there were ‘too many’ accidents with the bludgers hitting them,” he laughs and hears the boy laugh a little nervously but doesn’t say anything back. 

“Their fault for not even knowing how to fly properly.” 

“Mmm...” was the only reply he got; a little boring this one.

“So, do you know which house you’re getting into? I already know mine. All of my family generations have been on Slytherin, so the sorting would be a mere formality for me." On every passing phrase, Draco said this boy was looking even more confused, but just before he could answer, Madam Malkin instructed Malfoy to step down from the stool and head to the waiting area. 

“Oh well, I support; we will see each other later.”

As he walked away, Draco took a little peek of the boy's face to remember him later. Messy hair, tanned and freckled skin, round glasses, and... a lightning bolt scar?

Oh, Merlin.

Could that be? No, it couldn’t. How could it be? He looked so lost, insecure, and, most importantly, normal and ungrateful. 

But that didn’t matter now, because that scar was the only proof he needed to know he just talked to the chosen one. And he hogged all the conversation—how foolish. 

He just got a little too excited to be talking to someone his age for once. His father always brings him to social gatherings, but not many children attended, and those who did never got the chance to interact properly—just a basic greeting between them as their parents talked. It would be rude talking over any groups, and you couldn’t leave your parents side at any moment, so there’s that to any of his own age interactions.

In a matter of seconds, one of the shop assistants was handling his already packed robes and uniforms, saying their thanks and byes as it was a very busy day.

He had to introduce himself, didn’t he? 

He was waiting outside for the boy to come out. It didn’t take very long, and when he did, Draco intercepted him, extending his hand for a handshake.

“Excuse me, but I think we didn’t quite introduce each other. I’m Draco, Draco Malfoy,” said Draco with glowing pride. He already knew this boy's name, birthday, and the big accomplishment he has done to the wizard society at this point, but he waited to be greeted back, offering a little smile to lighten up the already nervous boy.

“Oh. I’m Harry Potter; nice to meet you,” he said, reaching for his hand and offering nothing more than a kind handshake. 

Does he know who he was? Certainly that wasn’t the proper way to introduce yourself to the upper-class society. 

Now that he took a good look at his face, he was fascinated. The scar started at the base of his hairline to both of his eyes and partially his nose; it was indeed just like lightning, impossible to miss. Wow

“Are you quite done with shopping? I’m heading towards Flourish and Blotts. I’ll be glad to have your company.”

He invited, looking directly into his eyes; maybe the confidence in his voice would make it impossible for Harry to decline, but

"Actually, I’m waiting for someone, sorry.”

Replied, sounding apologetic and looking around, breaking eye contact. Little rude way to excuse yourself, it started to feel like he wasn’t instructed into the way to interact with your higher class peers.

“Oh! There they are. Hagrid!” Draco looked in the direction Harry was waving to see some sort of half-giant; this man was awfully hairy and looked as if he just came from rolling on the dirt.

“You know that you can make him wait, right?” Scoffed Draco, “Why would you bring him looking like that? Don’t you have anyone more presentable to accompany you?" This was unacceptable. Father would have cursed any chaperone who would come into the manor looking like that. 

“Pardon me?” Now this seemed to get him a negative reaction. Harry looked at him as he just grew a second head. “Hagrid’s a Hogwarts worker; he is the gamekeeper.” 

Draco smirked, covering his mouth with the back of his hand. "Well, it certainly looks like it; I heard he is some kind of savage living in the woods.” Harry looked more upset at the seconds.

“If you excuse me, I have more places to go,” said Harry as he walked away. “See you in Hogwarts, I suppose,” he added and went to this Hagrid person's side.

How insane. Why would the precious golden boy that his father always talked about prefer someone looking like that over his company? It left him perplexed. Father would know about this. He turned to the other side and stormed towards Flourish and Blotts, but halfway through he found his mother walking his way too. 

"Mother, you wouldn’t believe who I just talked to. Harry Potter!” Exclaimed, offended. “I just met him, and he turned me down for a filthy Hogwarts gamekeeper; could you imagine it?” His mother just took him by his shoulders and guided him down the alley. Caressing his cheeks and neck as she speaks.

“Oh, dear. Let’s go find your father so we can get your wand and go home. You can tell us there." His mother's touch was enough to silence him and listen to her. They ended up meeting his father already outside Olivanders. 

And before he could tell his father about Harry, he opened the door of the shop. His mother went through silently, and he did the same. Together, Draco couldn’t be yapping around, especially in such a small and empty store. This place was full of raw magic so much that you could smell and feel it at your core. Better to not bother it. 

The shop itself smells like wood—basically, old cardboard, wax, and spices. 

He dreamed about this moment; every wizard did. It’s the first time you get to control the power magic gives you—your wand as an extension of yourself and, at the same time, a companion with a mind of its own. They need to choose you as their master, so being in this place makes your gut turn in excitement and nervousness. 

This place was filled from the roof to the bottom with shelves, and maneuvering around the room was a thing Olivander did with ease, coming from behind the shop to approach the counter. Olivander was respected; he was like a hundred years old or so; you couldn’t believe he was human by the connection he got with the magic inside the wands; he was an alpha with a very powerful sense of analysis. It was rumored that he even knew how you'd present just by your magic presence.

As soon as he appeared, he looked at every inch of his face, took one arm, and measured from shoulder to wrist and from his elbow to his index finger as he muttered. “Oh, a Malfoy heir again,” he took a final interested look at his neck and muttered something surprised as he went back to pick some boxes. “How impeccable,” he said as he rounded his wrist. “Right handed, isn’t it?” Draco nodded. “I don’t even ask anymore; the Malfoy family in almost every generation is exactly as the previous, isn't it Lucius?” Lucius didn’t say anything but acknowledged Olivander by gripping his staff; his wand itself was a family heirloom and one day will be Draco's, as their magic was practically the same. 

“Now try this one,” he handed Draco a precious, smooth, and elegant-looking wand.

As soon as he touched it, he knew it. This was his wand. He could feel how the magic traveled from the tip of his fingers to his arm and chest, leaving a fuzzy feeling inside that went down to his toes. Like receiving a long-lasting hug, it rested on the back of his head and it felt right. Making every hair of his body stand, feeling lightheaded in a good way. He let out a satisfying sigh, knowing that he would spend the years to come beside this wand.

“Ah, right on my first try. Haven’t lost my touch with your family yet!” He handed the box where it came; it looked as if it was on the shelves a little too much, gaining dust waiting for his master. “Hawthorn wood, 10 inches Young Malfoy. With a unicorn hair core, it will be light and confident on your hand,” he said, looking right in his eyes this time. “Remember to take good care of it.”

Draco couldn’t think of a way to disrespect his own wand; he would cherish it for the rest of his life.

His parents took care of the payment and went on their way, purchasing everything on the list and whatever Draco asked for; even if it wasn’t on it, if he wanted it, he could get it. Eventually he would end up needing it later on, so there’s no need to hold back on the expenses. The day drifted away way faster than he would like; times like this when both of his parents were with him didn’t come by as often with his father busy with work most of the time. He was so happy that it made him momentarily forget his earlier encounter with the golden boy. 

They took their time browsing shops and buying him a new wardrobe, as he was entering a growth spurt. Green always looked good on his family, so green with silver accents was his go-to on most occasions, but his mother always liked to add a little something of her taste. This time in the form of a black wool turtleneck sweater.  As a final destination, they got him a little treat over Sugarplum’s and went home late in the evening. 

Once home food was already laid out on the table, the house elves had made his favorite this time; surely Father would have made the arrangements earlier to celebrate his last dinner on the manor before entering school. They wait for Narcisa to eat first; Draco and Lucius follow, and they eat together in silence.

“It’s getting late, father; can I be excused from the table?” He asked politely, lowering his gaze.

Lucius takes a long while to answer, but eventually he wipes his mouth and looks at his son with a severe gaze. 

“Draco, there’s a lot this family has to hold up for itself. We have to maintain a certain status in the presence of anyone else, and tomorrow is the day you enter that path alone. You’re aware of that, right?” Whenever Father talked about appearances, it made Draco uneasy. He knows how to behave himself around others; he had etiquette classes as soon as he was four years old, but in times like this, he got the feeling he didn’t meet his father’s expectations.

“Yes, Father”

“Remember, never let anyone be above you. One day you will be the head of this family, and being persevered as weak or unable to stand for yourself would be inaceptable.”

Draco could smell how his father's irritated smell intensified, sharp and bitter, as if the mere thought of a disastrous introduction had already taken place. He fought back the need to cover his nose, as this type of smell would make him dizzy sometimes. 

“You’re still young, but remember your place. You’ll be an alpha from the Malfoy family, and that implies that people will come at you wanting your power and influence; be careful who you end up befriending. Choose well” He already knew a few pureblood families that got their children enrolled in Hogwarts or that were getting in this year as well, so finding the right people wouldn’t be so difficult. 

Now he remembered Harry Potter from the Diagon Alley, but he wouldn’t dare mention it at the moment. 

“Do not disappoint us." He just nodded back. “You can be excused; tomorrow will be a long day. Good night, Draco.”

“Good night, Father, Mother,” he bowed and got up from his seat. He kissed his mother’s cheek, and she nuzzled his face back. Scenting him quickly would always ease him from any thoughts or worries he had. Leaving him with the faint scent of his mother mixed with himself. Regularity omegas tended to have extended scenting sessions with their pups until they presented, but this was all he needed. According to Lucius, the earlier he distanced from any omega rituals, he would be less likely to feel the need to associate with one. It was a pity, because he did enjoy it, and his mother's eyes always looked sad whenever he separated from her. 

Morning came by in a blink. His trunk was already neatly packed; he had his carry-on with the uniform and his wand on himself. He beamed in excitement as they went on platform 9¾. 

His father wished farewell with a sided hug, and his mother scented briefly kissing his forehead before boarding the train. Inside, kids were filling up the compartments, chatting with each other, and flooding the nearest windows to wave their families goodbyes. 

He went on walking down the aisle, until he saw one compartment empty. Putting his stuff on the racks above, he took a seat and waited for the train to take off. 

Eventually someone opened the door, startling him, but they were two figures that he easily recognized. 

“Draco! We thought we saw you outside; we were trying to find you." It was Vincent Crabee and Gregory Goyle. Sons of pureblood families as well, not so influential as his. Mainly betas, but they knew each other from many social gatherings; he didn’t really like their interactions, but according to his father, they were good company to keep close, so he was glad they found him. That way he wouldn’t have to interact with any unknown faces; those two repelled people for their ‘unique’ nature. 

Contrary to what anyone could think, he was weary of meeting new people, worried about making a bad impression, and such. 

Not wanting to recreate the Harry Potter incident, he touched a nerve with that gamekeeper but wasn’t really sure what was wrong with it; that man was filthy, and you could smell him by just looking. He’ll make sure to keep a good impression next time he sees him. He wanted to look for him on the train in the way of the compartment he was in, but there were too many people, and he was getting overwhelmed by the smell of nervousness and excitement on top of his own. 

For the moment he greeted Crabbe and Goyle but didn’t talk a lot as they chatted about the fun stuff they did over the summer; they bought some snacks off the trolley and kept babbling. Honestly, he was getting bored already; he didn’t care about their summers, so he rested his head against the window for the rest of the ride, crossing his arms and burying his nose on the turtleneck of his sweater; it was the one his mother picked on their trip to Diagon Alley yesterday. It smelled good, a lot like his mom actually; she had carried his sweater and more things on the way to the platform, so maybe her perfume seeped; it was nice.

After a while, he was lulled to sleep by it until he was being woken by Goyle telling him that they needed to put on their uniforms and be ready as they were finally arriving at Hogwarts. He felt like jelly, but the night had fallen outside and the stars were filling the sky as they were boarding little boats that parted towards the castle; it was fantastic, and Draco could just stare in awe as they approached the other side of the shore. 

Everyone was so amazed by the surroundings and followed the path to the entrance, mumbling between them. There was a person waiting for everyone to descend, and he led them towards a series of hallways full of paintings that pointed and waved at them. You could hear them cooing all the new pups, saying how cute they looked. They reached a pair of staircases, and a tall witch in green garments was standing outside a big wooden door.

“Welcome, new wizards and witches, to your new school. In a moment you’ll pass through these doors and join your classmates, but before you can take your sets, you’ll be sorted into your houses,” she went on in a brief introduction of how the housing worked, the points, rules, and the house cup. 

His father already filled in every detail about his stay at Hogwarts, so this introduction just let him inspect the room to see his year's classmates; some of them he already knew, and then he saw him. There he was on top of the stairs, Harry Potter. He wouldn’t blow it this time; the witch entered the hall behind her back and left them alone for a moment. He approached him as Crabble and Goyle followed, then planted himself on top of the stairs in front of Harry.

“Hello, again,” he waited. “Hey.” He greeted back and didn’t say anything more, looking uncomfortable. “I realized that maybe my observations weren’t well received yesterday, so I apologize for that inconvenience." 

He didn’t let Harry respond, but he looked less tense, a step in the right direction. “This is Crable, and this is Goyle. I hope you remember my name." Draco noticed Harry’s company, red head, freckles, and wore down clothes—another Weasley, of course—a family whose apparently sole purpose was to reproduce as much as their omega mother could—you could even smell the poor in them. With a grimace in his direction, Draco turned to Harry. 

“Within families there’s hierarchy, Harry. I can help you find the right ones from the wrong  ones." He extended his hand and tilted his head confidently as he waited for Harry’s hand. Noticing how that Weasley boy made an awful face to his comment, they both knew damn well what type of hierarchy he was referring to. But as if his word meant nothing, Potter dared to take a step back and frown. 

What in the world? 

"Thanks, but I can differentiate them on my own." 

Unbelievable, utterly, and ridiculously unbelievable. How could he do something like that? Even his heart started beating faster from embarrassment; in front of everyone, he was rejected. From a low family boy. He didn’t understand how he did that. If it wasn’t for that Weasley and dirty gamekeeper that he hung around, he would have thought that Harry had higher standards than a Malfoy friendship, but now it was clear to him that this boy didn’t know anything. 

He let it slide last time, but not now; he even saw that weasel laugh. He’ll remember this. Biting down on the inside of his cheek, he felt how hot his face got but decided to ignore it, turning on his heels in the opposite direction.

After a beat, Professor McGonagall came back for them, and the sorting ceremony began. The great hall was decorated with the emblems of each house over long tables that exposed a banquet for the new additions to the school that gathered in front of everyone; there it is the sorting hat. It didn’t look anything special and even sang some made-up song before the sorting began. 

They called a handful of people before it was his turn, and it was the perfect opportunity to learn the new names and faces of his classmates. He heard big names of pure blood families he hadn’t had the pleasure of meeting before and made a mental note to remember introducing himself early in the year. The more contacts he made, the better, but he was almost certain that half of those same people would show up to him before he could notice.

As they called his name, he walked confidently to the stool, and even before the hat touched a single hair of his head, it had already shouted Slytherin. He smirked at that with pride on his chest, wondering how many people in the history of Hogwarts had the pleasure to be so akin to their head house characteristics.

There was a cheerful applause coming from his now-table house, so he got up and walked towards it. He sat besides the Parkinson heir, who gestured for him to sit by her side. He enjoyed her company as long as the celebration endured. The food was delicious, and he soon realized that this day wasn’t so bad after all. 

Tomorrow, first thing in the morning, he’ll find the owlery so he could write to his father his sorting results, just a formality. As well as the disrespect he received from Harry Potter tonight and the day before, he didn’t have the chance to tell him before he left, and now he’ll know the kind of wizard he is. Apparently very on point with a Gryffindor description, according to the hat. 

After dinner, a Slytherin prefect took them, showing the way to the common room. It had a beautiful view of the Black Lake; the room was lit by green lanterns; they had several couches, tables, and chairs with more than enough space to go around, doing homework, studying, or just chatting around. Even at this hour, you could see many people catching up after the summer ended, rounding up in front of the fireplace laughing. Draco could see himself enjoying this place as much as possible from now on.

Dorm wise, the accommodations were simple, just divided into boys and girls, but they did consider your family's status, trying to consider not mixing alpha and omegas as a precaution. It wasn’t really a problem until you presented and all the pheromone phase passed, but it usually wasn’t an issue; alphas got potions for their ruts, omegas for their heats, and a collar. 

He got paired with Blaise Zabini, and Theodore Nott both came from very wealthy families, and as only sons, they expected alpha presentations. Only time will tell with those two, as their bloodline had alpha and beta probabilities. They all settled comfortably in their respective beds, with their vaults already placed at the end of them. They had many classes to attend tomorrow, so after talking for a bit, Draco wished them good night, closing the curtains of his bed. 

He just had a long day; being in his room this morning felt like ages ago, and now no matter how he tossed or turned his pillows, it didn’t feel right. The mixed smells all around him put him on edge; he could smell Zabini next to him with a wooden scent, and Nott didn’t really smell like anything, just neutral soap. It wasn’t uncomfortable to acknowledge them, but it was certainly a thing he would have to get used to. After a while, which felt like an eternity, he managed to fluff up his blankets to a comfortable position. It wasn’t as good as his own bed back home, but this will do. His brain raced with the things that happened that day, and after a while he slowly drifted to sleep with the image of lightning bolts in a very familiar shape…

Draco slowly woke up, stretching his arms above his head. After the initial uncomfortable feeling of his new surroundings, he got a good night's sleep, even getting one of his pillows on the floor without noticing it.

Blaise was nowhere to be seen at the moment; he guessed he got up early to get breakfast, and thinking about it, he was a little hungry too. He now realized that he would miss breakfast on his bed. 

When he got up earlier than his parents, usually one of the house elf would make him a light snack regularly in the form of fruit or yogurt. Sighing,  he got up, grabbed his uniform neatly hanging beside his bed, and walked towards the bathroom. They got a shared one in here, so he freshened up, washing his face, and taking a quick shower. 

Getting out, he noticed how his neck was starting to show signs of his scent glands; they were little lumps between his shoulders and his neck; they’re going to start functioning any time soon. If you were an alpha, you'd start developing a stronger sense of pride around it. You could control your scent to make everyone in a room respond to you without hesitation and get omegas to submit to you. It’s like a form of control over others you had by the fact that you presented. For omegas, it’s another story as they need a collar to stay at bay; their scent is special to attract potential mates, and many low-scale alphas can’t control their reactions near them, so to protect themselves from unwanted marks they need to use it, and the constant pressure around their glands helps to make them feel grounded. For them to use a collar is a form of protection. The first pup collar they get is from their families, so they are proud to wear them as a sign that they are loved, cherished, and cared for.

So if his glands are starting to show it wasn’t long before he presented, he estimated that he would have his first pup rut on Christmas holidays or a little after. 

He finished getting ready, putting on his robe, and struggling a bit knotting his tie, but eventually he got the trick. With a little movement of his wand, he got his characteristic hair style, slicking back his hair at the back of his ears. 

Getting to the common room in the early morning looks different from the night before; they are just first and second years, apparently. Guess they are too eager to start school already and meet new people. Speaking of which, he saw how a handful of students looked in his direction, whispering to each other, normal behavior in his presence. He looked pointedly at them and walked beside them, not greeting them or shying under their eyes. If they wanted to say something or get to know him, they could; he doesn’t need to act as if they weren’t talking about him. 

He knows he’s important and isn’t afraid of gossip around himself, showing how little these chatters matter in his presence lessens the occurrence of them, so after a while he expects them to stop or he would have an interesting interaction with them. If it involves his persona and his family status, he isn’t afraid to remind them who’s above them. 

The first day of classes was good and uneventful. They got their schedules on the announcement board and got to know Professor McGonagall in transformation studies; she was the tall witch in green garments that welcomed them to Hogwarts.

She registered Animagus as a cat. You had to be careful of what you said around her halls, even outside of his classroom, because you could mistake her for someone's pet and get in trouble for not being in class or running your mouth about something. He didn’t doubt her knowledge, but she was half-blooded and the headmistress of Gryffindor, so she sympathized a lot with mudbloods; there’s a lot of teachers that indulge in those activities, so he was wary of her. 

On the other hand, they had Professor Flitwick for Charming Charms. The lesson was just a basic introduction to the arts, letting them know how the course will develop and the things they’ll need for the next class. They let them go with just reading homework. He was pleased at the moment; he always liked to study—got that from his mother—so he expected the first weeks to go smoothly. Getting good grades was a must, but he’ll see that later. 

Some Days he got to share classes with the Griffyndors, and today they got their first shared lesson in potions. 

Professor Snape barged into the room unprompted, startling everyone in the dungeon to silence. He started with a roll call, noticing the new celebrity of the generation referring to Potter; he couldn’t help but chuckle at that. He  obviously got all the bad attention towards him as Snape asked questions about potion making or how to find ingredients, and to no one's surprise, he didn’t know a thing. To be famous for just your name without holding up the expectation is shameful. 

To him, potions were something he enjoyed; he liked Professor Snape a lot. He was Head of the Slytherin House and a close friend of his mother; he treated him like a godson and showed him some basic spells and techniques for when he started brewing, and that moment was this class. Of course he studied the lecture beforehand to answer any questions he could, but in reality Professor Snape had an extensive knowledge of the brewing arts, so he knew which questions were a weak spot that new students didn’t catch at first glance.

Potter  didn’t catch a thing because the questions he got were basic to anyone, and he didn’t even know that. Then there was that obnoxious classmate, Hermione Granger, that couldn’t stay still. By her surname, it was clear that she was a mudblood; no wizardry family had a strange name like that. And it was embarrassing seeing that she tried very hard to get the professor's attention; fortunately, Snape ignored her the whole time and served her right for being such a pick me. 

Class processed and made Draco release that he really looked up to the man; besides, he wouldn’t admit it out loud, but he smelled safe. There’s just a handful of smells with unprecedented alphas or omegas perceived, and safety wasn’t one of them. On others, you could easily identify strong emotions, like joy, sadness, anger, or fear, but things like safety, mating status, and sexual pheromones were things you perceived more once you developed completely. 

It could be for the fact Severus is an omega, unconsciously associating this type of smell with his mother, and the closeness they had played an important fact to be easily paired with warm and safety characteristics. He wouldn’t comment on this to anyone; his dad made clear that he didn’t like the man. He came from a shady background and was a male recessive omega; they are even rarer than just male omegas. 

Just a handful registered, as it’s viewed in a very shameful way; they aren’t even considered for the new laws. Allegedly all of them are sterile, their noses aren’t that good, and their heats are unbearable, so if a normal heat is an inconvenience, at least it had a purpose, which for them is a pure waste of time. Their value in society is at the very bottom, not even considered enough to have a right to a collar, bearing and exposing their neck for anyone to see, and undesirable enough to not be claimed. It’s painful to see someone like that; fortunately, Hogwarts got him under his wing, joining with the fact he is a brilliant wizard, so basically his status is completely ignored. 

Bringing up something like his smell or the way he made him feel would be unappreciated, so he let it be.

Before he noticed the lesson was over, they had a lot to study for tomorrow and already had a paper about remedies and ingredients for lethal poisoning due by next week, thanks to Potter, of course. 

They got a free period, but he was already impatient for the next class; actually, he was thrilled! It was a flying lesson, and he could show off as much as he liked; he was really skilled on the broom, and his father complimented his form; even if first-year students weren’t allowed to play quidditch, he was hoping to catch an eye or two today. 

The lesson began; he was one of the first to summon his broom successfully on the first try. As he was starting to have fun and waiting to take off, the class got messed up by a dumb Griffyndor. The teacher had to leave to take that boy to the infirmary. As he managed to break his arm on a laughable landing, he took a look at his broom on the grass and found something interesting. 

“Look, he dropped this.” It was a memoryball already turned red. “Maybe he forgot to land on his fat ass.” That got a lot of laughs from his classmates and a few glares from the other house. They looked like he just personally offended their grandma, delightful. 

“Hand it back, Malfoy.” There it was again, Harry Potter standing in front of him with a serious expression. This could be fun, so hopping on his broom he elevated with ease and challenged Harry; he was hesitant at first hearing his classmates trying to stop him. But he balanced a little wonky to match Draco and looked directly into his eyes angrily. That made Draco chuckle, so heroic. Apparently Potter was really easy to get riled up, ha!

“I’ll knock you off your broom, Malfoy." Well, maybe it wasn’t a very good idea to fight him on air, but just getting him upset was enough this time; after all, Madam Sprout would come back any minute now.

“If you want it so bad, come and get it.”

He struck right past Harry and saw a worried look in his eyes for a second. Scenting how it soured his smell, he got the urge to wink at him just to make him even madder, but just as he passed, he threw the remember ball ahead of them. And then Harry did something he didn’t expect; he went right to it. 

Seriously, even Draco was aware that if the teacher saw them in the air, they were to get in trouble, so flying across the field without supervision was an idiotic thing to do, well damn. He got back down and watched how Harry maneuvered on his broom to catch up the ball in an impressive way; even he was surprised. Harry descended to his cheering friends, and before Draco could sulk about this backfiring about irritating Harry, Professor McGonagall called for him. 

His day got a little better after that; they had another two classes to attend for the day, and then he was free to roam around to eat at the great hall. 

“Did you see the face of Longbottom when he hit the ground? That looked like it hurt like hell." Goyle didn’t even hide the amusement on his face; he had low to zero empathy for others, especially people like Lomgbottom.

“Madam Pomfrey may heal his wrist, but not stupidity and reputation,” responded Crabble, giggling on that.

“And don’t forget that Potter was oblivious enough to get caught in the air; that’ll show him not to mess with us,” added Draco as he took a seat in front of them. Today they had a variety of soups and broths to choose from, so he helped himself with a plate. 

“Speaking of, what’s wrong with him?” Goyle had previously stuffed his face with half a loaf of bread and crumbs fell from his mouth as he spoke. Low to zero etiquette as well.

“Nothing. Just Fame blowing up his big head, thinking he gets a pass for being the chosen one,” retorted Draco as he took spoonfuls of his soup. It smelled intensely of spices and tasted amazing. Food made here so far has been delicious. It almost tempted him to take a second plate; after all, it had been a long day, but his appetite went away as he watched a very cheerful group on the Gryffindor table. 

He made eye contact with Crabble and Goyle and nodded towards that table. They quickly got the idea, and the three of them walked towards the Gryffindor. Hearing them very enthusiastic about something, Draco cleared his throat promptly to get their attention.

“Having your last meal, Potter?” He spat mockingly, and his friend behind him chuckled a bit, backing him up; surely he got a hell of detention. 

They stopped chatting and tensed up, Harry turned toward his direction with an annoying expression on his face and took notice of his friends behind. 

“Not too brave on your own I suppose” he teased back with a winning smirk on his face. What exactly happened with McGonagall that wouldn’t leave this pinhead and his friends loaded with remorse for his actions? 

“Oh, are you speaking of bravery? I, Draco Malfoy, challenge you Harry Potter to a wizard duel” How about that? Ha!

In things like this you should make an initial motion to a bow but he wouldn’t do that in front of him.

He could see just a little hint of doubt behind his green eyes and before he could tease about it Weasley was already talking.

“Sure thing, Malfoy. I’ll be his second, who’s yours?” At least he looked confident as he spoke. Behind him he sized up his friends.

“Goyle. Midnight on the trophy room, see you soon” He turned around walking out the great hall, with the feeling of intense glares on his back. As soon they were out of sight from preening eyes Goyle spoke fidgeting with his ear in a poor attempt to appear confident.

“Are we really gonna break curfew, Draco? My father would kill me if he finds out we got in trouble on the first month of classes and I’m sure your father wouldn’t he pleased too” now he couldn’t hide the worry from his features, trying to puzzle how to wonder at night in the castle with Ms.Norris and Filch being around. 

“You wouldn’t be so dumb to think we would be there right?” At the blank stares of both his friends he noticed he would need to elaborate further. “Of course we're not going you fools, we can’t risk losing points to this… but they would” that sentence clicked in his friends mind and made them start giggling “All that courage and bravery talking would be the end of them. We just need to wait until morning and see who’ll be laughing now” this time he laughed about it just imagining getting Potter in trouble two times in a row was amusing enough.

They continued walking towards the Slytherin common room as they didn’t have anything else to do for the day, being a first year meant you had it easy for a while as classes began to get more challenging but for now they could relax. Crabble and Goyle had their parents send tons of candies and snacks so they sat down to eat for a while, chatting and snickering about other students. Draco didn’t care to listen about it and decided it was time to write home, he started telling how he liked classes so far, who he had ended as his roommates and how many students he recognized as sons or daughters of important people. But when he really got into writing was when he started telling all his interactions with Harry Potter, how he is a complete ignorant and a social buffoon with no manners and Weasley level friends. Even though he rejected his offer of friendship to learn to navigate inside the wizardly community, they wouldn’t like that kind of person to be friends with him. Definitely.  

He ended the letter telling them that he missed them really badly but to not worry about him, he would make them proud very soon. He kinda wanted to tell them his morning discoveries about his neck glands appearing prominent but he didn’t think it would mean anything until a few months later at least. He sealed the envelope and excused himself to his dormitory, it was still early but he started feeling exhausted. When he arrived there was Zabini, with books on top of his bed apparently preparing for the potions essay. A little too early in his opinion but each their own.

Zabini lifted his head, making eye contact for a second and going back to the books, uninterested in him. They hadn’t had many interactions during the week so they didn’t speak much, still he hoped that changed in the future as Zabini would be a good acquaintance to have.

“Already doing homework?” 

“Something like that, yeah” Zabini replied without looking his way and kept reading 

“Just reading ahead for the next lesson, the more you know the better. Especially if the professor is someone like Snape” 

“Yeah, makes sense” Draco agreed “Still I’ll start reading tomorrow, I’m too tired to start today” the conversation died there and he started getting ready for bed, taking off his cloak and tie, he noticed a pause in Blaise actions, freezing for a second as he brushed something off mentally. It looked like he wanted to say something but instead he kept reading. 

Draco continued to grab his pajama pants and headed to the restroom, he wasn’t comfortable enough yet to undress totally in front of someone else, when he got out to the beds Blaise was already on his with the curtains closed. It was a little weird as moments earlier he seemed very entertained, but he didn’t think too hard about it. 

After arranging his bag for tomorrow he got to bed too and soon realized that he couldn’t sleep. Again. 

Each and every night Draco had to re arrange his bed, it wasn’t uncomfortable to sleep in but there was something he couldn’t place his finger on that bothered him to his core like a thought on the back of his mind telling him that he needed more pillows or blankets but the thing that bothered him the most was the smell, it smelled wrong. Draco tried to ignore it most of the time but each passing day he couldn’t shake off that feeling that he wasn’t secure on his bed and it was starting to drive him insane, the sight of his neatly made bed every time he was back to his room frustrated him. After more puffing and turning off his blankets he covered his face with both of his arms and finally felt a little satisfied then closed his eyes to a restless sleep.

Morning came by and Draco already had his second piece of toast accompanied with some fried eggs and sausage when the flock of owls came by delivering mail, he received a nice little package of sweets from home and a small letter with his mother handwriting wishing him good luck on his classes and encouraging him to be the best version of himself, signed with love. He could smell his mother's perfume from it and he wished once more to see her.

He really appreciated all the gifts coming from home, not every kid in Hogwarts had the same flow of letters and he was very aware of that. 

Suddenly his thought process was broken by a very loud stir on the Gryffindor table every student was gathering around Harry bloody Potter. 

“You gotta be kidding…”A Nimbus. The new Nimbus 2000 had been unwrapped in front of that boy. How many more signs of favoritism had to be before everyone to make him shine above anybody else? 

“Don’t make a face like that Draco, you’ll get stuck like that” said Blaise from de other side of the table “I’m sure you can get one just like that if you ask” added as he took another bite of his breakfast 

“It’s not that. First he isn’t punished for disobeying professor Hooch, then he receives the position as seeker on the quidditch team and then he gets the newest model of broom on the market… unbelievable”

“Guess Hogwarts had his favorites already”

Surely it isn’t a gift from home, everyone knows Potter’s an orphan and before coming to Hogwarts no one knew where he was so this had to be from some teacher and he’ll put all his bets on McGonagall, she was the one that pulled him from practice on the first place and headmistress of his house so go figure. And by the happy looks she was giving towards the commotion he was certain that was the case.

His father would know about this. Even before he came to Hogwarts Lucius was already seeking for a place into the school 

He’ll make sure the rules of Hogwarts are respected, besides if Potter could make it to the tryouts then he would make sure Draco gets to the Slytherin team in no time. He had the talents and influences necessary to get him a spot so he wouldn’t worry about it for long.

Besides, he couldn't be that good in a real match, no matter how good he looked on a fancy broom. Damn. Draco continued eating his breakfast with a hint of jealousy in his stomach but ignoring it, he already tried twice to get that stupid Gryffindor in trouble so he’ll have to swallow down his frustration. 

Today needed to be a good day to compensate for the chaotic morning and after finishing breakfast Crabble and Goyle followed him to the middle courtyard and took his things out to study with fresh air. Draco liked these activities outdoors and after entering school he was still managing his schedule between classes, doing his homework and trying to have fun. He still hadn’t explored all the school, it was enormous and he wanted to enjoy every place a little bit before exploring a new place and today it had to be here. It was a beautiful day to be outside, being the first weeks of autumn the weather was starting to get chilly but with a clear sky that sitting down in the sun felt good enough to relax.

He came here with the excuse to study but his friends were more interested in snacking and didn’t pay attention to any of the books they brought. It was relaxing enough that he started to nod off as he wasn’t getting enough sleep he didn’t even bother to fight off the chance for a nap and leaning towards a pillar facing the grass he closed his eyes for a moment feeling the sun warmth on his skin. 

And suddenly he wasn’t there anymore, he was at home curled in his mother's arms on the biggest sofa of the living room facing towards the chimney with a gentle hand going through his hair. Remembering his mother's omega scent clear as day.

He felt a rumbling and he knew what it was. Purring. He loved every time his mother would do this, he could feel the peace and content in her arms as if nothing in the world mattered. It continued for what it felt like hours until he regained consciousness by loud chatter from a group of students walking by the corridors behind him. Draco yawned a bit refreshed and with the ghostly feeling of his mother’s hand on his back.

After shaking off the dizziness he finally took up his books and started on the astronomy essay that he had to work on before the next class.

After a few more days things started to go smoothly for Draco, he befriended a little bit more with Zabini and Theo making the nights at the dorms not so awkward anymore. He still finds himself with a bit of insomnia but it wasn’t as pronounced as the prior weeks. 

There were days he slept like a rock and woke up curled up completely in a cocoon of his own blankets, it would be embarrassing for him to be seen like that but once the curtains of his bed closed they didn’t move a centimeter until you opened again from inside. Giving a sense of privacy and once Draco figured it out it became easier to toss and place his blankets or pillows in a way he knew he’ll fall asleep instantly, it was a pain re-arranging everything every day but so far so good. He even wondered if his friend had this kind of routine for a good night of sleep or if it was just him. They didn’t complain about lack of sleep so he never asked them to comment on his sleeping rituals.

Sometimes when he got it just right he would wake up with a ghostly feeling on the back of his throat that he couldn’t place a name on it and completely relaxed.

But there’s a thing or two really bothering Draco and that had a very specific name to it. Potter. 

It wasn’t that he said or did something directly to him but his presence bugged him off. He would stare at him every time they shared lessons and Draco could feel his green eyes looking for him, why was he trying to distract him? 

Even on the hallways he could sense it and sometimes they would make eye contact, of course every time this happened Draco glared at him daring him to say something but that bastard just looked away and it was making him mad. Today was one of those days he would just stare at him but he didn’t care, he was waiting for this class as he had the time to read ahead on the book and was expecting to earn a few house points for it. 

If it wasn’t for that annoying Gryffindor.

That Granger girl wants all the teacher's attention for herself, it makes him gag all the show off she puts every time. And at the moment she managed to interrupt the lesson with a perfect example of the Wingardium Leviosa spell getting all the praise before anyone could say something. And he wasn’t the only one bothered by it, he could hear Pansy Parkinson and Daphne Greengras mocking the way she talked whenever she raised her hand. 

“That know it all muggleborn sure thinks she’s superior to keep interrupting class with her remarks” Pansy hissed loud enough to be heard very clearly.

“She doesn’t have any sense of care for others wanting to enjoy the lecture” answered Daphne resting her face on her hand with an eye roll. After a while the class was dismissed and once professor Flitwick was out of sight the girls made sure to be close enough to her to say something more serious.

“You know what! It could be that she could be needing all of the attention because she isn’t collated” Pansy spat with venom on every word. There was a moment of silence followed by a wave of laughter from the Slytherin girls and they rushed away before anyone could say something back, even bumping their shoulders harshly with her.

That surely hurt like hell and he wasn’t referring to the multiple shoves she received. Before she could recover from that, Ron Weasley was already saying something as painful. Remarking her manners and how that’s the reason “She doesn’t have any friends” And with that she disappeared, shoving the boy aside and leaving a sour upset smell behind.

Chapter Text

“Well… that could explain her obnoxiousness,” Draco huffed as he walked away. As he drifted his eyes away, he noticed Potter’s eyes on him once again. Surely, he heard him say that and wasn’t pleased. 

“Made sense that an ignorant muggle-born wouldn’t have the decency of wearing a collar.” Theo retorted back, walking beside him and blocking the sight view from the Gryffindors. “I’m sure now she’s hiding anywhere in the castle having a breakdown.” 

They continued walking all the way back to their dorm room; as soon as they arrived, Theo gathered some things from his bunk and took off his cloak, making himself comfortable.

“I’m going back down with Pansy and the others if you want to join us for a chat before dinner.”

 Draco started untying his tie and looking around for the sweater his mother gave him; it was his current favorite one.

 “Go ahead, I’ll be there in a minute.”  

Theo nodded and disappeared behind the doorway. Leaving Draco to get in more comfortable clothes himself, as long as you aren’t outside on the castle halls, you could have the privilege of not wearing your full uniform, so after a long day of lessons, taking it off was the first time you would do it. Still, Draco took his time to neatly hang it up next to his bed and not throw it around like his roommates; they still needed it for dinner, and having a wrinkled cloak wasn’t very presentable. 

Today was a special day as it was Halloween night, and there were celebrations in the great hall. During the week, you could see new details being added to the decorations preparing for today’s event. All professors will be present, and Dumbledore will be giving a speech, so he had to make sure his clothes and hair were perfect. He took great joy in taking care of himself and his image, so he always waited in anticipation for dinners and parties. Once he was satisfied with touching up, he went back down with everyone in the common room. They were sitting down on the couch and sofas right in front of the fireplace, laughing loudly. Theodore was the first one to notice his arrival and invited him in. 

“Oh! Draco is here; come sit down; there’s still space beside Zabini.”  

He sat down next to Zabini and started paying attention to the conversation they were having. 

“I know she’s a muggle-born, but still! With a personality like hers, you would expect her to fully be an omega." Apparently Pansy was still feisty about what happened in the last class.  

“I know, right? Poor girl, even though we sit across from her, I still can scent that overly sweet smell she started emitting recently, said Greengrass, making a gagging noise.  

“I’m sure you could smell it too, Draco.” Now all eyes landed on him, confusing Draco for a second. He hasn’t been near her enough to notice any changes. 

“With genes like yours, you could even smell noises and colors by the time you’re 15,” she chuckled, on the back of her hand, making everyone laugh a bit too. “Seriously, if she isn’t collared yet, she could at least try to hide it, saving yourself that humiliation.” The girls since arriving at Hogwarts were displaying their own pup collars, flashy ones with jewelry in them. Soon they would change them for a proper one, meaning they could be open for courting availability, and they were proud of it. 

 They continued to talk bad about Granger, but in reality, it was probably that she didn’t even know what was happening to her. All that stuff about sub-gender etiquette was something you just know, even a bookworm like her would have a hard time figuring out on her own the social aspect of it. 

Sure, laws say that you aren’t obligated to wear a collar until you present and stuff, but there are customs and signs that would follow and make you wear one. 

For example, if you were born from a union that involved a dominant omega or your family had a tendency towards producing omega offspring, then you’ll wear one from the moment you turn five. It’s customary that any pups that could have the potential of presenting start with a ribbon covering and continue wearing pup collars around their necks; it’s like an invitation to other families to consider her as a viable option for their children. An old-fashioned tradition but still very common among the higher-class people. The only purpose for an omega daughter was to climb up your family status, so papering up your own children to make them look appealing was the way to get attention from influential people.  

Nowadays it is a more common practice to get their collars once they confirm their status or whenever they start showing signs of irritability, being needy, sensitivity to people and their scents, general discomfort, pheromone imbalance, and being an inconvenience to be around, really. Since Granger has muggle parents, they wouldn’t know a bloody thing about all of this, and there’s no way she could get one of her own; you have to earn one. For being important enough for someone to care and get one for you.  

And if your parents didn’t care how or when you presented, then being a neckbeard to anyone else was humiliating enough on its own. You aren’t worthy, basically. 

“Ugh, I can’t believe people like her end up in a school like Hogwarts. Trying to fit in a society they don’t belong to, Draco contributed to the conversation. 

“Her classmates don’t even like her; it almost makes you feel sorry for her,” Blaise added. “But seeing how annoying she is, I don’t blame them…” 

 “If she’s starting to show, I wonder who would be next. Isn’t it exciting?” The girls giggled, looking back at Draco for a second, and he thought about his own neck glands and inability to sleep. Recently it wasn’t much, but he could feel his senses starting to change; he was certain that he wasn’t the only one with this type of stuff happening. 

Almost everyone will be presenting by the time they turn twelve or thirteen, give or take. He wondered too who would be next. 

They continued talking until the topic evolved into other ones related to the schoolwork, since they would have some tests coming up soon. Crabbe and Goyle joined them for a while before students started exiting the common room on their way to the great hall.  

Theo looked at everyone heading out and tapped Draco’s shoulder. “We should be going too; let’s grab our ropes.”  

Their friends stopped talking and started getting up too. “We’ll see you guys outside then.” Blaise and the others went out while Theo and Draco went upstairs in their uniforms.  

All the students were rushing a bit on the dungeons heading towards the Great Hall; well, not everyone, but the first years sure were a little excited. Every special event at Hogwarts was a thing to be thrilled about, even more if you were experiencing them for the first time, and today was the special banquet for Halloween, and soon Draco forgot about charms, Granger, and any other things that happened during the afternoon, really. 

This was a night he anticipated; it wasn’t anything fancy, but every year the celebration, decorations, and atmosphere were just so enjoyable. 

Once you’re of age, this night would be one you’ll experience your own magic in its fullness; some powerful wizards say they start to feel how their powers vibrate even days before the 31st, and it’s the perfect moment to feel your magic in its rawest state, ideal to make exciting breakthroughs on spells, potions, or anything you want. It’s even said that any pups conceived on this night would be powerful wizards, or you could use this boost of magic for blessing your newborns, asking for protection or good fortune upon them. 

Since the majority of the students were underage, the celebrations boiled down to a night of appreciation for your own magic and having a feast. You could feel the excitement in the air as you walked through the crowd. Candles lighting the ceiling in the form of pumpkin lanterns, the night magical sky was a beautiful and misty sight with tables filled with candies and mouthwatering foods. 

 The banquet was exactly as you expected, delicious, and everything was perfect. Until it wasn’t… They were still halfway into the banquet when Professor Quirrell suddenly erupted through the hall entrance with the sourest and most pungent panic smell you could ever taste, screaming about a troll in the dungeons and then fainting right there in the middle of the hall.  

All the students were silent for a moment; Draco could feel sick in his stomach, with his guts twisting in fear. How could a thing like that even happen! 

And chaos erupted; screaming and whining filled up the air, including his own, but as everyone started to get up from their seats, a wave of pheromones clouded over all of them; it felt like a weighted blanket just covered your head. Making it heavy and uncomfortable, but at the same time it provided a sense of comfort. Before he could even process what was happening, the prefects were shouting instructions to get safely into each common room. Draco still felt slight ringing in his ears but started to follow everyone else. He was still startled, and that heavy feeling wasn’t shaking off. Blaise noticed this and helped Draco make him grab his shoulder so they could walk together. 

All houses existed organized at the same time, and the Gryffindor one was beside them, as always. When they parted ways, he noticed a flashing pair of worried green eyes watching him from afar; Potter and the Weasley boy noticed how agitated he was. Damn it, between all the confusion he was feeling, he had forgotten about how everyone else could see him, so taking a big breath in, he stood up straight again, and letting go of Blaise's shoulder, he started walking on his own as if nothing had happened. But against his own will, his eyes went back to Potter, and he wasn’t there anymore. 

They arrived at the Slytherin common room, and everyone went straight to their dormitory. What a way to finish the celebrations! He and his roommates stripped off their uniforms to get into their sleeping wear; usually, Draco didn’t like undressing in front of anybody, but right now he wasn’t in his right mind to be alone. As for the others, they were doing their own thing, thinking about what just happened, so no one was looking his way when he changed. 

He sat down and took several short breaths, not wanting to draw attention to himself.

 “Did you feel that? I knew Dumbledore was powerful, but letting out that amount of pheromones at once was an overkill.” Theodore started talking once he was lying in his bed, stomach down and facing the others in the room. 

“If he wanted, I’m sure he could have commanded everyone in the room at that very moment; it even made me dizzy for Merlin’s sake.” He said and buried his face on the bed, wiping it on his own scent in an attempt to make him feel better. 

“Bet that would count as mental abuse, Theo,” Blaise said back, glancing at Draco briefly in an are-you-okay way.  

Nodding back, Draco slipped down the covers in his bed, deciding to lie down and rest. “‘Night.” He closed the curtains of his bed, not wanting any pity, and went straight to fluff and toss his blankets in a desperate attempt to feel better, but as time passed, the overwhelming feeling of fear wasn’t going away. A series of thoughts flooded his mind that he needed to feel reassured, longing for his mother’s arms and the anchoring presence of his father’s scent.  

Morning came, and he needed to get to class; it was still early, but he got ready before anyone got up and went down to the common room. He had a lot to think about; this was the worst night he had so far at the school. Having difficulties falling asleep was one thing, but what happened last night wasn’t normal at all. Of course, he noticed that everyone got affected by Dumbledore’s presence, but nobody needed help walking or showed other signs of distress. This sure had something to do with his upcoming presentation. 

But he couldn’t think about any signs or symptoms that involved getting disoriented from fear; besides, he hoped that the first signs would be developing enhanced smell, but until now all he got was random dizziness, insomnia, and being paranoid. Great.  

“Draco! Good morning, what are you doing so early?” In all his train of thought, he didn’t notice Parkinson approaching. 

“Oh. I just got up a while ago and couldn’t fall asleep again; I figured, why not start the day earlier instead of just lying in bed?” he answered, shrugging a bit uninterested in having a conversation. Still, the girl ignored that and continued talking. 

“Hmm, same here. With all the stress from yesterday, I couldn’t even fall asleep without waking up five minutes later, panicking,” said Pansy as she faked shivered, exaggerating her point, and leaned into Draco’s space with a whispery voice. “I can’t believe a troll even got in! I heard some omega friends from second year had a panic attack from all the commotion” and then retrieved going to her arriving friends with a nodding motion. 

Girls keep getting gossip as soon as it happens; it’s impressive. 

“Let’s hope the next one to get in isn’t a bloody giant.” Draco huffed back and got up from his seat, stretching his legs a bit before going out; it was starting to get busier as breakfast time approached, and he spotted Goyle's usual ‘just want to go back to sleep’ expression all over his face. 

“Hey, hey. Snap out of it! If you already got ready, how come you still look so miserable?” He spooked Goyle, making him flinch. “Oh! Merlin, Draco” zero space awareness as well, but that wasn’t a lack of sleep, just the usual. 

“And you haven’t seen Crabble yet, heh. Went all night without a blink, finishing today’s assignments” with the audacity to look even more tired, he had an impressive, big yawn. 

“I think he finished when I took off; maybe he’ll join us for breakfast. Let’s go; I’m starving.” Draco rolled his eyes and didn’t say anything about their lack of responsibility or even get started on what their priorities are if homework was all they had to do in here and just followed along. With them as company, he could shut his brain for a bit; they usually did all the talking and followed his lead on whatever he wanted to do. One of the nice things about having a surname with presence was not having to engage fully on anything; the people around you would want you there and include you and want your opinion on things. As for now, all he had was these two ‘friends,’ gossiping girls wanting his attention and calculated looks on his way. Great start, but not as great as he expected; everything important in one way or another ended up turning towards that obnoxious Potter; all the chatter, eyes, and expectations were on him every moment. Next week would be his debut on the Quidditch team in a match against Slythering, and he couldn’t wait to watch him get hit by a bludger or knocked off his broom by older students. All the Slythering team was formed by big and short-tempered alphas, or so he heard.  

Just imagining the disappointment that would cause was an enjoyment on its own. 

They finally arrived at the great hall, and speaking of the devil, here it came, Potter, followed by no other than Weasley and, surprisingly, Granger.  

Didn’t they dislike each other just a day before? Ugh, pick a side. 

Draco went back to diving into his own food as he would need energy for the day, countering for his lack of sleep. But as the room filled, he couldn’t help but notice that every time a Gryffindor appeared, they cheered or waved towards the trio. Something happened that he didn’t know yet, and he wasn’t sure if he would like to. 

It didn’t take long before Crabble arrived, all messed up but, of course, with the information of what happened. “You wouldn’t believe what I heard on the way here,” I announced while sitting down across from them. 

“Harry freakin Potter defeated yesterday’s troll” … One, two, and three seconds passed of Draco processing that information. 

“What did you just say?”

“Everyone is talking about it; they say he and Weasley went all knight-in-shining-armor looking for the omega girl, the one that was crying yesterday, and oh! Surprise, the troll got her cornered in a bathroom.”  

As he talked, he was filling up his plate with sausages, eggs, and everything he could grab.  

“Apparently they even got points from it,” he finished and started eating, staring down into the Gryffindor table. 

Huh, once again that Potter. Since arriving, he must be feeling on top of the world. How could he be breaking rules and commands so boldly in front of everyone and still getting rewarded for that kind of behavior? Worse of all, Draco still wondered how a first year would be dumb enough to face a creature like that and turn out without a single wound. It made him incredibly jealous and curious at the same time, wondering if the moment he saw him yesterday was the exact one when they escaped the crowd to fight off that creature, freaking Potter with nerves of steel or just so low survival instincts that walking towards direct danger was an acceptable thing to do. 

While Draco chewed one last bite of his breakfast, he noticed how those green eyes searched for something and landed on him for a moment, just like last night. For a second he even thought Potter would make a motion towards him, as if he would stand up, but he was interrupted by the Weasley twins arriving at the table. 

He wondered if Potter would have said something about Draco’s state yesterday… 

This kind of thought made Draco have a habit of watching Potter and his friends days after the incident, watching over his shoulder for any suspicious behavior towards him, but fortunately nothing happened. All he noticed was that Granger now was showing off a simple, neatly pressed, beige collared shirt against her neck. The weekend after the troll incident, she had appeared with it on the next lesson they shared. It was a very common one, and the girls had a lot to talk about for a while, but he didn’t care to participate in those chats. Picking those kinds of things, like size, colors, or the expensiveness of the collar, was a very omega subject, and he was sure the omega girls had it covered. Now Granger was collared and protected, but that didn’t save her from the class hierarchy she was on.  

If it had been Draco that watched Potter leaning on others to walk straight from fear, he wouldn’t have shut up about it, even if it was just for a moment.  

For anybody other than an omega, that type of behavior was unacceptable, hiding or needing help from others in a distress situation. Seeing Theo and Blaze affected as well was a relief to see, but Draco still wondered why he had such an extreme reaction. Wasn't he supposed to have superior genes or something like that? 

Surely there was something with him, so after a bit of internal deliberation, he did what he thought was the best to do: he wrote home. 

And the answer he got from his parents was simple: time was getting close for his imminent presentation. They were a little surprised by it as they expected him to present at his twelfth birthday just like most of his ancestors, but it wasn’t unusual to fluctuate on the age. Their advice was to be aware of every little change he experienced in his daily life; the usual ones were hypersensitivity to other smells and sudden mood changes. He would be irritated by others presence in his space, and maybe his pheromones would start picking up and responding towards other alphas, and in the moment he noticed the last one, it would be necessary to come back home to avoid any unnecessary conflicts. 

Presenting consists of your first pup being bedridden for a couple of days. This type of rut is where your body would start to manifest and adapt to the physical changes of your body, including hormonal ones. Some presentations were more intense than others, and it depended on how easy your body reacted to those changes.  

For Draco, it would be an easy process; all his bloodline was predisposed to a dominant Alpha change, so it would be easier for him than it would be if an Alpha or Omega came from a muggle or complete beta families. 

They sent him some calming potions and a list of charms that would help if scents became too strong for him; an alpha sense of smell developed first and quicker than any other changes, so this spell would have come in handy on Halloween night. Well, that’s in the past now, and he wanted to forget about it. 

Every day since his letter, Draco would spread some of the calming potions onto his wrist and neck to subside any possible discomfort. He still couldn’t feel any intensification of his senses yet, but the unexplainable mood swings were a constant thing, and putting on the potion every day like a ritual made him relax his racing mind. Aside from that, he didn’t feel any more new symptoms and continued his schoolwork as usual.  Now and then he’ll wake up feeling heavy and lightheaded, not wanting to get up from his arrangement of sheets, and with November coming with colder weather, it felt like a big effort to get up and get ready. Normally on those days he’d wait until everyone in the dorm left, savoring every moment to the very last minute spent on his bed surrounded by his own smell and a sense of safety, but today, even though it was Saturday, he needed to get up early.  It was the first day of Quidditch season, and Slytherin would be opening in a match against Gryffindor. He enjoyed the sport and cheering on his house team while having the opportunity to make fun of Gryffindor amateur seeker, indicating that today would be a good day.  

He got up as soon as he felt sunshine entering from the window, taking time showering with the hottest water he could endure; he wished to take a bath like at home, using the biggest bathtub of the manor full of relaxing potions, but for the time being he settled with hot water and the steam that filled the bathroom. Draco got out of the shower feeling happy and relaxed; today he dressed in his Slytherin robes and scarf enchanted with a warming spell, paired with matching gloves. With the way days were looking, it wouldn’t take long until they could see a frozen lake from the common room. Coming out from the bathroom, he almost bumped into Theo’s half-asleep body, stopping just mere centimeters from each other's faces. 

“What’s that smell, Draco? Are you trying some new cologne?” He came extremely close to his face for his liking and scented heavily on him. Taking a step back, Draco almost tripped in an attempt to put up some space between them. Why did people like to keep invading personal space? 

“What are you talking about? I just put on clean clothes.” He wondered if he put on some already used robes but couldn’t find any scent when he smelled his own sleeve. It was too early to be annoyed already, so he stepped aside and walked past Theo, getting to his bed and filling up a bag with a few supplies for the day. The last vial of calming potions, some parchment and quills in case he wanted to write home today or just make a head start on some next week's homework, and an extra sweater just in case it gets too cold. 

Today he didn’t wait for anyone to go into the great hall for breakfast; on the way there, he saw Professor Snape watching over the students, making sure no one was making a fuss. It wasn’t a common thing to see him just standing on a single spot; he was always busy with something, walking from one place to another, but it seems today he was taking it easy on himself. 

“Good morning, Professor.” Draco greeted, stopping for an instant beside Snape. He hasn’t had the opportunity to speak with him since the year started. He didn’t expect to have a full conversation with him; they see each other in every potions lesson. But he missed a bit the familiarity they had outside the school; he knew that once he got into Hogwarts, their relationship would become exclusively a teacher-student to prevent even more of the favoritism gossiping. 

“Draco” He greeted back with his characteristic deep voice; standing beside him, he noticed something new. Snape was emitting a faint different smell; it wasn’t something new that he didn’t recognize, but it was the same scent he recognized but different, as if he could pinpoint every undertone from it. This could be it! Finally his sense of smell was developing; maybe he hadn't noticed with others around him because he wasn’t completely familiar with how they smelled. 

“Waiting for something?” Snape incurred sounding a bit annoyed when Draco didn’t say anything else and just stared at him.  

This was interesting and new; he could see and hear annoyance in his features, but inside he knew that he wasn’t really annoyed; he couldn’t say how he knew; he just did. 

“Nothing, professor,” he answered, snapping out of his new discovery, and continued walking towards the great hall. On the way there, he tried to concentrate on other students' scents. It wasn’t easy, but he could start to perceive more individual emotions coming from a specific person rather than sensing the general and dominant emotions in the air. Brilliant. 

Once Draco had breakfast and a new experience tasting the foods with a sharper smell, he headed towards the Quidditch fields.  

He made it to the post with his friends, Crabbe and Goyle, on both of his sides, and a wave of house enthusiasm filled the air. This was one of the few things all year students could participate in and bond about at the same time and place. Draco had always liked flying, and playing quidditch was one of his favorite things to do and one of the things his father supported him on. 

As the match started, everyone got out into the field, Madam Hooch in the middle of the ground.  

You could see Slytherin captain Marcus Flint towering above almost everywhere else; it wasn’t a big difference, but in the game it did provide a slight advantage. Draco had seen him around, and his presence was a heavy one; you could sense it even from afar by the way he looked and stood.  

It made the other team look smaller, especially Potter, since being in first year included not quite hitting your growth spurt yet, and for all they know, he looked frail on his broom.  

“He doesn’t even know what he’s getting into.” Draco laughed at the sight, and the game started. 

Well It certainly didn't go as he imagined. That Potter could make a decent seeker; seeing him maneuvering on the Nimbus, looking outsmarting the Slytherin team, made his blood boil. Draco didn't want to admit it, but he knew that more than one student thought the same. That snitch catch was freaking insane, and he hated it for that. 

After the match there wasn’t much to concentrate on besides studying; it made him bored. Being so close to the winter break made Draco impatient to get home; Professor Snape had just taken the names of everyone who would be going back to London for the holidays. It made him think how he greatly missed his family and couldn’t wait for the comfort of being in the manor once more. He sure loved Hogwarts, but right now he wanted that break so bad. The scents around him were getting a bit overwhelming, and he hoped his father would give him some advice on how to tune them out; also, he was sure any day he’d get his pup rut, his body was getting heavier and heavier to move around. Making it extremely difficult to stay out of his bed or room, being there made him relax more than anything, and when Draco ran out of calming potions, his response against others' emotional states was harder to ignore.  

Just the other day he got the nastiest headache after smelling Blaise's anger. Apparently Theo accidentally burned his homework and didn’t tell him. It was getting tiresome.  

He knew that not everything had to be a bad experience; the beginning of the turn is the worst part. After that he would enjoy the privilege of his name at its fullest; being one of the first to present would mean his alpha nature was strong, getting more attention from his peers and gaining popularity. He wasn’t interested in anything romantic, but he knew for a fact that strong alphas were highly sought after. 

Draco and his classmates were exiting the astronomy tower; every step down felt as if a hammer had hit inside his head. He tried to blink several times to clear his eyes, but it just got worse.  

“Did you hear what Professor Sinistra said the next essay would be about?” Goyle asked “I wrote it down but got ink all over my parchment when I was saving it.” Crabble answered before Draco even registered the first question. 

“Are you alright?” It took Draco a second to realize they were both looking in his direction, apparently having stopped walking. He was spacing out. 

“Keep moving; I’m just tired.” He didn’t want to make a fuss about it; he was getting used to this kind of thing happening. Dizziness and headaches now and then, but today the situation was getting out of hand. It started as a funny feeling in his stomach after breakfast; he even thought it was the food, but as the day progressed, all the things he felt through the last weeks started to manifest one by one. Sudden acknowledgment of everyone's scents that made his head spin, unpleasant mood swings, trouble concentrating, tenderness of his neck and wrist glands—all that combined with three hours of sleep in his system was a combination for disaster. 

“I just need some sleep…” 

Arriving at the dorms was a nightmare. 

He got under the covers and closed his eyes, feeling as if his head was spinning. He was so exhausted, but after some minutes that felt like hours, he realized maybe lying down wasn’t his best option. 

The feeling of someone touching his shoulder shocked him awake; he couldn’t remember falling asleep, but the only thing he knew was that he was feeling hot, piping hot.  

Theo stared him down, talking and saying something about going to the hospital wing; apparently he was being so restless that he couldn’t sleep because of all the noise he made moving around in his bed. But that was all he could make out of the gibberish Draco was hearing, not being capable of registering anything more from that moment on.