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Part 26 of Our Screaming Souls
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2025-02-15
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2025-04-20
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2/?
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Anchor

Summary:

He's a Submissive without a Circle, having lost both his Alpha and Beta. They're a Circle without a Submissive, having lost theirs. Unfortunately, they need each other.

(Mind the tags)

Notes:

Happy Evil Author Day! Normally that's where there's no guarantee that the fic will ever be updated, but I can already confirm that there will be more eventually. So it's more just Evil Author Day along the lines of "have some whump". Enjoy?

This fic starts during the Battle at the Burrow in TBDH, around chapters 29/30.

As always, many thanks to Scion/Chera for creating such a lovely universe.

Chapter 1: Deaths at the Burrow

Chapter Text

The sight of Charlie's fallen corpse on the ground signaled the point of no return.

Charlie, who had fallen to a curse originally meant for Harry.

For a moment, Harry couldn't move, couldn't see anything beyond the other man's body, couldn’t hear anything beyond blood rushing in his ears.

No, not his Charlie. Not before they'd even had the chance to—

Harry was distantly aware that he was yelling Charlie's name over and over again. He was also aware that it would have no effect—all of his shouting and breaking things hadn't brought Sirius back, after all.

Somehow, he managed to stumble his way over to the body before he collapsed and fell to his knees. He stared at Charlie, unseeing.

This wasn't happening. It couldn't be happening.

He wouldn't let them get away with this.

If only he had been stronger. Then Charlie wouldn't have felt like he needed to shield and protect. If only he still had access to his magic.

Memories of a conversation he'd had with Theo not too long ago flitted across his mind. Well, he might not have access to his magic yet, but his Alpha had gifted power to him, in the form of his reserves. The words spilled from Harry's mouth. "Orbis terran kal."

A heartbeat later, his mouth dropped open in a silent gasp as what felt like all of the elemental and wild magic present in the ground beneath his feet pulsed upwards, ripping through his veins before bursting forth and lashing out.

There was so much of it—too much to be controlled. He'd known Theo was powerful, but he hadn't realized the Alpha was this powerful.

No wonder dragels were so feared.

As the magic poured out of him, Harry felt like he would be torn apart.

And the truth was, he would be fine if that happened. Charlie was already dead. And as soon as he'd spoken those three words, he sensed what Theo had left unspoken that day—if he survived, there would be no Theo either.

Harry didn't want to live in a world where he couldn't be without either man.

He might have managed if he'd just lost one—it would be painful and take time, but he might have managed—but to lose both of them… Harry refused to consider the possibility. It was far simpler for him to die as well.

Unfortunately for him, he was not that lucky and when the magic had run its course, he was still breathing.

Harry stared blankly at the site. The earth had opened up and taken everything and everyone into its dark depths. Harry, with Charlie's body beside him, was on a precarious pillar, surrounded by chasms that went so far down, he couldn't see the bottom. Even the Burrow had tumbled down into the newly made rifts.

He swayed on his knees, barely managing to stay upright. He hadn't intended that. He hadn't meant to destroy everything—everyone. Just the Death Eaters.

But that made his decision easier. It was hard enough living with the guilt of Sirius' death. He wouldn't be able to cope with the extra guilt of losing so many of his friends. Of losing Charlie and Theo.

He just had to muster enough strength first. Just enough strength to stand up and take the few steps that would allow him to pitch himself over the edge.

It took longer than he expected, though Harry wasn't sure if he truly lacked the strength or if he was hesitating at the thought of leaving Charlie's body behind. He had only managed to raise one knee when a portal similar to the ones Teacher Terius used appeared.

A heavily-armored woman with cropped two-toned hair and a grim expression on her face stepped out of the portal and immediately brought forth scarred. carved wings so she could hover in the air, as there was no space for her to stand. The grim expression shifted to one of raw grief.

"You're the Submissive Theodore mentioned."

Harry slowly nodded.

"You used his password."

He nodded again and felt a small glimmer of hope in his shattered heart when anger flashed through the woman's piercing gold eyes. Maybe she'd finish the job for him.

"You stupid child." The words were harsh, but not entirely unexpected.

He closed his eyes as the woman drew closer, clawed hands reaching out and drawing a blade. "Where life meets death, a line is crossed. For a price paid in blood, a debt is cast. That which you owe me, I will collect in full. Shadows of Death's Court hear me!"

A second later, a blade pierced his heart. A golden-red medallion edged in white and black flared above his head, the magic traveling down the blade to etch a copy of the seal over his heart.

Green eyes snapped open and a confused, questioning screech slipped out of Harry. What had she done?

When she removed the blade and it became evident that he wasn't going to die—his body was betraying him and he was actually healing instead—he gave the woman a pleading, broken look. "Let me die," he begged, choking on his tears through the words. "Kill me now.”

Large, scarred wings surrounded him and Charlie's body. "He'd never forgive me," the woman said softly. "Temptrificus Ergen!"

Chapter 2

Summary:

Enjoy!

Chapter Text

Her name was Ilsa and she had been Theo's mentor before… Well, just before. 

She took him to Nevarah, a sanctuary realm for dragels, rightly predicting that after the devastation at the Burrow, Britain would not be safe for any of their kind—not that it was that safe before. Theo had talked about his mentor briefly that very first weekend they’d had together, but Harry quickly discovered his Alpha had woefully simplified what he said and left plenty unsaid, like he had with so many other things. 

For example, Theo hadn't said how brutally efficient his mentor could be when she put her mind to something. In the span of a few days, she had located Theo's body and brought it back to Nevarah as well. By the end of the first week, the corpses were taken care of according to the traditional elemental rites and Ilsa had dragged Harry along to the remembrance ceremonies. By the end of the second week, Harry had been forced to see several Healers, including a Mind Healer, and had several seals that had been blocking has magic and dragel instincts from fully coming through removed. 

The prognosis from the Healers was mixed. On the one claw, everyone was relieved to have the seals removed from him, because apparently a Submissive shouldn't have so many or such a variety of seals on them. The prophecy connecting him to Voldemort was unraveled and a sliver of Voldemort's soul was removed from him and destroyed, along with any lingering connection to the madman. 

But Harry went from no magic at all to having too much magic. Theo's power hadn't dissipated after using his password had transferred it all to Harry and the Submissive had released it. Instead, it had returned to Harry, so not only did he have his own magic, he also had Theo's. The result was that he transformed from being one of the Nameless with affinities to several elements to being an Earth element with an Air affinity and a Nameless talent. 

Removing the seals had also allowed the Healers to identify his extended family in Nevarah, but so far, Harry had refused any sort of contact with them. He still wanted to die at the first opportunity he was given, so what was the point of getting to know them only to leave them grieving for him in a short while? 

Not that it would be easy to die, due to the cruel device known as death seals. Submissives didn't normally bear such things, Harry learned, but when he came into his inheritance that summer, he already had two. The Healers had since removed both of them, but Harry still bore two death seals. Ilsa had placed one on him when she first found him and when she had to recast it several times due to Harry’s—efforts—she had gone to her family Circle's ACE, Alonso Gorgens, and the other Gheyo had placed one as well. 

Harry hated the both of them for it. He didn't understand why they didn't just let him die. Surely that would be preferable, rather than keeping him alive—him, the one that had caused them to lose one they saw as a son and a grandson. 

Well, no, he actually did understand why they felt it was important to keep him alive. In addition to such overwhelming power, Theo's magic had been an anchor of sorts. More specifically, it had been the anchor to Ilsa’s magic, which was linked to that of the entire Gorgens Clan. Her life was linked to Theo's magic and her element protected the Clan. If Theo's magic had dissipated into the Earth upon his death like it was supposed to, Ilsa would have died and an entire pillar of the Earth Clans and element would have been destroyed. 

Instead, the magic had gone to Harry. While he wasn't anchored to Ilsa in the same way Theo had been, there was still the risk that his death would destroy that cornerstone of elemental power. None of the Earth Clans could afford such a risk, so Harry was forced to stay alive. 

It was an especially crucial time for the Earth element, because the Earth Royals themselves were undergoing a transition. King Edgar was stepping down and Prince Raspen was taking up the title of king and the elections for the  next Earth Chan Chief were underway. 

But there were consequences to keeping him alive. Harry was not an Earth element by birth. He had been Nameless, which came with its own risks—the volatility of many Nameless gifts meant that Submissives with that designation usually had to bond earlier and more quickly than other Submissives. And while Submissives were practically wells of power and magic in their own right, Harry had two dragels' worth of power constrained in his body. 

By the end of the Hunt, multiple Healers had come to the same conclusion. 

"If he doesn't bond again soon, his magic will destroy him from the inside out and it will be sizable enough to destroy a small realm."

Chan Chief Thomas Gorgens nodded gravely at Lord Hiram Kalzik's subdued pronouncement. It wasn't the first time the other man had said as such and it probably wouldn't be the last if they continued to delay the matter. 

Not that Thomas could delay it any more. For Harry's sake, he had for the course of the Hunt. The youngling was grieving after all and entirely untaught. What they were already doing was cruel enough and Thomas knew that forcing him to court and bond during such a happy time and with such limited knowledge was a recipe for disaster. 

But now the Hunt was over. Raspen had passed all of the crowning challenges and trials and all that remained was the official coronation and swearing of the clans to their new king. All of Harry's original seals had been removed and Thomas had stepped up into the role of unofficial mentor when Maurice Elswood had been found dead on Earth shortly after, having sacrificed himself to ensure Harry remained protected and alive. 

"How long?" he asked the Healer. 

"A few months at most. Maybe closer to a few weeks." 

"And if we made things official? Adoption would allow us to use familial seals, the ones meant to help control our power." 

Hiram frowned. "I will not weigh in on that discussion. I can only say that such a seal would be a temporary measure and it is likely that it will be quickly overwhelmed and broken.” 

"How many would you say would be enough to stabilize him?" Thomas asked. “One? A triad?" 

"A full Circle," Hiram said softly, grimacing. "I know I've asked before, but there's no one else that could possibly anchor instead of him?” 

"Dahlia is out because she has too much Storm," Thomas replied. "Ariki isn't an option now that he's Bonded to Raspen—conflict of interest and all that. Plus he takes after his Sire too much." He smiled grimly. If anyone needed proof of the Gorgens power, they only had to look at Ilsa's children. Two of them held two elements—a rarity among dragels—and the third had a Nameless talent so powerful, it could practically be a second element for her as well. "Soula declined, considering her own power isn't completely under control yet. Besides, If something happens to Ilsa, she's the next Gorgens heir and the same individual cannot be both heir and anchor. The twins haven't been born yet and any possibilities in the side branches of the Clans either aren't powerful enough to handle it or are too young." He sighed. "I even offered myself, even though I can't be the anchor while being Clan Chief. In addition to Ergen's refusal, my parentals stopped by for a visit and a lecture when they learned of it.” 

"No matter how old we get, as long as we have parentals, we run the risk of such occurrences," Hiram replied, lips twitching ever so slightly. "I know what I'm advising is cruel, especially to a youngling who has been through as much as he has. But for all the magic in the realms, it's likely the only solution. Unless, that petition you mentioned to Surajini—?”

Thomas shook his head. "The Royals have made their positions clear. There was support from the Air and Fire courts, but Storm and Merrow didn't think it was worth considering when the Earth and Shadow courts have already stated they'll refuse to grant consent. Nothing was in Theodore's will, so all six Royal courts need to sign off on it; if they do not, charum mortis cannot be granted." 

He had been hoping that if Harry could apply for, and be granted charum mortis, he could force the issue of finding another anchor. His grandchildren would hate him but he felt it was infinitely less cruel than what they were currently doing to Harry. Unfortunately, the idea had been quickly shut down and now, both because the topic had been broached and because of Harry's several attempts, the youngling was required to have a Gheyo and a Healer watching over him at all times. 

“What were the reasons for refusal?" 

"Edgar has always been against the concept—Maurice's petition was the only one he ever approved and I'm fairly certain that was only because everything was so public and the other elements made their approvals public as well. Raspen might have reconsidered in a few years, but he can't until after the coronation ceremonies technically, and all of his advisors are saying that it would be inauspicious to start his reign by granting a petition in the first year or so. The Cunninghams are still hunting and until their mission is complete, they won't release anyone connected to the situation.” Thomas sighed again. Everything had truly turned into a mess. It was a miracle he was still Clan Chief. 

Hiram clasped him on the shoulder. "It will be more difficult now that the Hunt is over, but I'll gather the names of some possibilities among my Clan. I'll also reach out to the Orsenos, Hartwoods, and LaRurentes and see if they're willing to do the same. When Lachman comes to relieve Ranvir, I'll send along their responses." 

Thomas nodded. “Many thanks."

After Hiram departed, Thomas found himself wandering towards one of the more heavily warded areas of his Circle's quarters for the Hunt. While the floor was normally used as a nursery or living quarters for young Royals who didn't have control over their vast amounts of power, for this Hunt, it had been Harry's quarters. Like all areas in this building, there were spaces in the walls and secret rooms for Gheyos to remain on guard and watch over their charges, but this situation was so precarious that one of the walls had been replaced with two-way mirrors and doors and an observation room had been set up. 

He slipped into the observation room. and took stock. Ranvir Kalzik, one of Surajini's Pareya was in the bedroom itself, meditating under a privacy bubble as Harry slept. Mason was the Gheyo on watch, but Alonso was present as well—not so unusual, because ever since placing his Death Seal on Harry, he spent most of his free time watching over the youngling. 

Thomas kissed both Gheyos on the jaw in greeting before coming to stand in front of Alonso. The ACE's arms automatically wrapped around his middle and he hummed in return, sinking into the embrace. "Hiram's opinion was the same as the others," he said after a minute. "He believes a few months at most but most likely a few weeks. He recommends a full Circle." 

"If even the Kalziks are saying it is the best way to proceed, we'd only be delaying the inevitable," Alonso murmured. 

"It's been less than three months," Thomas returned flatly. "How do you recommend that I tell him it's time to find another Alpha—to find an entire Circle when…” He shook his head. "I don't even know if it's possible. Most Circles are built over years or decades, not weeks and months, unless a soulscream is involved."

Silence hung between the three men for a long moment. Eventually, Alonso cleared his throat. "It wouldn’t be ideal, but maybe we should consider the Halperons?" 

Mason hissed quietly as Thomas turned to face his ACE. 

"Hasn't he suffered enough?" the Submissive demanded. "You'd really give him over to them?" 

The ACE chewed his cheek for a minute before replying. "I'm just saying—he needs a full Circle. They don’t have a Submissive. It makes the most sense if he needs to bond quickly. And you know they'll do absolutely everything to ensure he stays alive." 

"Only because they're lost two Submissives already!" Thomas shot back, his eyes taking on a dark hazel hue. "I've heard Raspen talk about them—the Alpha is just on the right edge of sane and that Gheyo Suite isn’t much better!" 

Mason coughed quietly. "To be fair, I'm sure others are saying the same about young Harry in the rumors going around. Grief doesn't exactly lend itself to rationality and sanity." 

"That's not what I mean and you know it!"

"They're Earth-heavy, the Clan itself is a good, powerful name, and I don't know, maybe a Military Circle would be a good outlet for him. Revenge can be a powerful motive for living. Harry's angry and grieving and from what Ilsa has said, that … organization could be a convenient target for all those emotions," Alonso said.

“And after that?” Thomas asked. “What comes after that? I understand the need for revenge, but eventually they’ll be gone, taken care of, and what will he have then? A Circle that he didn’t build, Bonded that he didn’t choose? Trying to fill the spot of not just one, but two Submissives with Gheyos he didn’t court, who didn’t choose to swear to him? Bound to an Alpha with a reputation like that? You would seriously want that for him?”

“No,” Alonso said simply. “But it’s not my choice to make. It’s his and he deserves to hear every single option, especially after we’ve put him through so much already.”

Thomas grumbled under his breath. He knew the Gheyo had a point, but … “I don’t like it,” he said firmly. He’d heard too much about that particular Circle. “Harry deserves better.”

“Maybe he does,” his ACE agreed, in a mild tone. “But it’s his choice to make, not yours.”

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