Harry didn't pay any notice to what direction or which corridors Draco was leading him through to get to their new shared living quarters. He was exhausted - mentally and physically - and just wanted to curl up in bed with his mate. Draco kept shooting him little concerned glances but was clearly saving any questions for when they were alone.
Harry blinked as they finally stopped in front of an ancient wooden door in a familiar part of the castle. "Hey, is this the third floor corridor?"
"Yes, do you know it?" Draco asked as he withdrew his wand and tapped the iron handle.
"Yeah, kind of," Harry replied, mouth curling into a slight smile.
Draco looked relieved to see his mate's smile and turned to open the door. "The door will only open for the two of us. McGonagall said not to key anyone else into the wards because if you're caught out on your heat then you need somewhere to escape to that people can't follow, and anyone could attack you, even close friends who you would normally trust to be alone with."
Harry nodded solemnly. After today he would never take his safety for granted again.
He followed Draco through the door, gazing around curiously as he entered and walked to the centre of the room. The room was about the same size as the Gryffindor dorm room, except that it had one bed instead of five. There was one large window on the far wall which opened to the outside. The bed was a large wooden four-poster and was covered in a deep green quilt. Harry smirked but refrained from comment as he continued to look around.
There were two other doors in the room; one was open and showed a small attached toilet, and the other door was closed.
"That one leads to a secondary bedroom," Draco explained when he saw Harry glance at it questioningly.
"What for?" Harry asked, turning to him. His eyes suddenly widened. "It's not for a… a baby is it?"
Draco laughed and shook his head. "No Potter, it's not. It's just another room to sleep in if either of us needs some time alone. It locks from the inside, so you could also potentially spend your heat there as well."
"Ah…" Harry nodded and walked over to open the door. The room beyond was very small and contained a single bed, a single set of drawers and a toilet area. Harry frowned; there was no way he was going to spend twenty-four to forty-eight hours in that tiny space, his pulse quickened just at the thought of being locked in there.
He shut the door and turned to face Draco, who was sitting on the edge of the bed, watching him. Harry slowly walked up to him, eyes lowering to the quilt. "McGonagall didn't choose the colour scheme, did she?"
Draco smirked, following his gaze and running a hand over the soft quilt. "No, I don't believe so."
Harry smiled and kicked off his trainers next to the bed before climbing up onto it. He lay on his stomach with his head at the foot of the bed, chin resting on folded arms.
"Mind if I join you?" At Harry's nod, Draco removed his shoes and lay on the wide bed, mimicking Harry's pose next to him, elbows touching.
Harry sighed and closed his eyes. "Merlin, I'm tired."
"Do you want to sleep?"
Harry opened his eyes again and laid his cheek on his arms as he turned to look at his mate. "No, not really; I feel exhausted but my mind won't stop whirring, you know?"
Draco's answering smile was tinged with sadness. "Yes, I know."
"I don't think I thanked you, for earlier," Harry said quietly.
Draco's eyes narrowed slightly. "You never have to thank me for helping you Harry; it's just what we do for each other."
Harry smiled. "I'm glad you said it's what we do for each other and not it's what you do for me as my Alpha."
Draco chuckled. "You may be the Omega in our relationship but you're still Harry Potter; brave, powerful wizard and vanquisher of evil dark lords."
Harry laughed and felt his heart swell with a warmth that he couldn't put a name to.
"I do feel different since coming into my inheritance though," Draco continued. "Flight used to always be my reaction of choice, as you know, but now… my fear for your life seems to override any fear I have for my own safety. It's… odd. It must be how you've always felt," he added.
"It's not that I'm exceptionally brave or anything," Harry responded, trying to put it into words. "It's just that I've always felt somehow responsible for a lot of what was happening. Voldemort was after me, he killed my parents because of me. If other people got in the way of getting to me, they became expendable, so I was just trying to avoid that as much as possible."
Draco nodded in understanding. "Still makes you brave though," he pointed out.
Harry smiled. "Nah, just guilt-ridden."
Draco smiled as he blew some fallen strands of blond hair out of his eyes. "You should know that McGonagall thinks you're rather special. Actually, she said the pair of us are special."
Harry snorted. "Yeah, in what way?"
Draco's expression turned serious and a slight furrow appeared between his pale brows. "She thinks we are more in control of our baser instincts than most Alpha/Omega pairings."
"Really?"
"Yes, I didn't think much of it at the time, but I was able to carry you to the infirmary and leave you with Madam Pomfrey while you were still in heat. Most Alphas are unable to think past their own arousal once they get a whiff of their mate's heat pheromones. She also mentioned the fact that you are able to think clearly enough around Alphas to attempt to stop them, and what's more, you're able to do it while in heat. That's incredibly rare. She said she's never heard of an Omega being able to do that before."
Harry chewed his lip as he thought about that. "Maybe it's because I don't agree with the whole dominant/submissive thing when it comes to Alphas and Omegas. It's never felt right to me, I've always hated the idea of bending to an Alpha's will - especially ones who are trying to fucking rape me to get what they want," Harry uttered darkly. He glanced at Draco's expression and quickly put a hand on his arm. "But like McGonagall said, you're not like that; you seem to be able to think rationally."
Draco's answering smile was tight. "Sometimes."
"What times haven't you been able to?" Harry asked with a confused frown, not remembering any such incidents.
"I did hex your best friend quite badly today."
"Merlin, I forgot," Harry replied, eyes widening. "Is he alright?"
"Yes, he's fine, it was just a Stinging Hex after all," Draco answered, trying to play it off but his expression was plainly contrite. "If I had been able to think clearly, I would've remembered that he's your best friend and therefore important to you, so I shouldn't be harming him, especially because he wasn't actually trying to attack you. I also attacked the Professor. Violently."
"Yes but he deserved it," Harry replied instantly. "I mean, it wasn't really his fault but you had to do whatever you could to get him off of me. I could never blame you for losing control in that situation, I would've done the same thing if I'd walked in on that scene and it was you pinned to the desk," Harry broke off and had to swallow, vividly remembering the feel of a hand pressed to the back of his neck, firmly pushing him into the unyielding surface of the desk. "I was just relieved that you didn't change into your other form," he added.
"You don't have to worry about that," Draco replied, laying his cheek on his arm as he turned to Harry, inhaling the skin of Harry's hand where it rested on his arm as though taking comfort from it. "I have full control of my other form, most of us do. Such an immense secret would not last long if every little row caused us to suddenly change."
Harry smiled. "Yeah, I suppose. I'm glad I don't have to worry about that." He stopped and shuffled a little closer so that their bodies touched from hip to ankle. "I like it here, like it's our own little sanctuary."
Draco's lips tugged into a smile at Harry's words. "As do I. When McGonagall suggested it, I thought she was joking."
Harry laughed and turned over onto his back, head still turned to Draco. "I can't believe the Headmistress is actually encouraging us to share a bed every night."
Draco's grey eyes crinkled with laughter as he grinned. "Saucy old minx isn't she?"
"No way would your Head of House have allowed this."
"When it was Severus?"
Harry nodded, still grinning.
Draco smirked. "Only if he thought it was punishment and not something you wanted. He may have allowed it for me though."
"I'm glad you had someone on your side," Harry said, sobering, reaching out to run his fingers down Draco's pale cheek. "You seemed very alone in sixth year."
Draco caught his hand in his and kissed his fingers, causing Harry to flush a little in embarrassment. "I was."
"But not anymore."
"No." Draco smiled at him a moment then sat up. "Want to get under the covers?"
"Yeah, that sounds brilliant." Harry grinned and quickly slid off the bed and began to get undressed. "We're not expected in class this afternoon?"
Draco rolled his eyes as he unknotted his tie. "Of course not, we can stay here all week if we wish."
"Oh we should, we really should," Harry replied, green eyes gleaming.
Draco chuckled as Harry pulled back the thick quilt and climbed in. Draco stripped down to his pants and quickly followed, piling the pillows up against the headboard and leaning back against them.
He opened one arm and Harry smiled as he shifted over to lean against his mate, Draco's arm wrapped securely around him and holding him close.
Harry sighed, relaxing still further as he inhaled Draco's scent and felt the Alpha's body-heat seep into his skin and begin to warm him. "This is exactly what I needed," he said with another sigh.
"Good," Draco replied with approval. "I… was concerned that you wouldn't want me anywhere near you after what happened today."
Harry slid his left arm around Draco's waist, cheek resting comfortably on his shoulder. "Me too. I was worried that being around any Alpha was going to freak me out but I find that I want you near me, I think I need it."
"Do you think you'll have a problem being around otherAlphas?"
Harry frowned as he thought about it, trying to picture what it would be like to be near an Alpha that wasn't his mate. "I… I don't think so, not really." He paused and then felt a flash of fear as he thought about his next heat.
"What is it?" Draco asked, having felt Harry stiffen against him.
"I… I'm scared to go into heat again," he replied honestly, heart pounding at the thought. "I didn't like how it felt and I… I didn't like what it did to Professor Fischer."
Draco combed his fingers through Harry's hair as he held him close. "You needn't worry about that. You know when it's going to happen now and we can prepare for it, you won't be caught out again."
Harry nodded, knowing that Draco was right but still fearing it. What if he was abnormal and had unreliable cycles? Or maybe his heat ending early today had upset his cycle and it would come a day earlier or a day later next time?
"What if my heat starts on a different day next month because it was interrupted?" he said, voicing his concerns aloud.
"You felt extraordinarily tired right before your heat, didn't you?" Draco replied steadily. "So we'll know it's about to happen when you fall asleep in your breakfast. And Weasley and Granger are now able to recognise the symptoms too."
Harry took a deep breath and released it. "Yeah, you're right. I… I'll just lock myself away when I start to feel really tired without reason again."
Draco nodded encouragingly. "Precisely. It won't be such a surprise next time."
Harry closed his eyes and tried to relax. He wouldn't think about his heat any longer, there was no point worrying about something he had no control over. Draco was right; he would know it was coming because he could now recognise the symptoms.
"How did you know I was in trouble?" he asked, wanting to change the subject but also remembering to ask the question that had been on his mind since their meeting with McGonagall.
Draco shifted a little, resuming his finger-combing of Harry's hair. "I could smell your fear."
Harry glanced up at him. "Really? But… you were in McGonagall's office at the time weren't you?"
Draco nodded. "I was. Remember when I told you that by stopping the scent masking potions, it would allow your Alpha to scent when you were in trouble?"
"And you could scent it from that far away?"
"Yes. I'm not certain, but I think my other form enhances that ability a little too. If you're inside the school and in distress, I'll know about it."
Harry smiled into Draco's bare shoulder, the smell of his skin all around him, creating little flutters in his stomach that he would never admit to out loud.
"I wish you could change right now," he said, the words just tumbling out of his mouth before he could think about what he was saying.
The fingers stilled in his hair. "What?"
Harry felt his cheeks heat and he avoided the stare he knew was directed at the top of his head. "Erm, you know… it would be… uh, nice and… warm." He stopped spouting gibberish and held his breath.
The gentle combing started up again and Harry exhaled.
"I know you said that it didn't bother you, but… you actually want me to change?" Draco asked, sounding surprised.
Harry shrugged, not looking up. "Yeah, it would be… I would feel safe. Not that I don't feel safe now, but… I dunno, it's different, isn't it?"
"Sure."
Harry could detect the smile underneath the sarcasm in Draco's voice and he finally chanced a glance up. He met amused grey eyes which also held a trace of relief and perhaps a little pride as well.
"Shut it Malfoy," Harry said with a grin.
"I didn't say anything," the blond replied innocently. "I don't care if my mate has a cat fetish."
Harry pressed his face into Draco's shoulder with a moan. "Please don't say that. I do not have a cat fetish - or any fetish. That I know of."
Draco chuckled, the sound rumbling pleasantly under Harry's ear. "I don't have a problem with your cat fetish, in fact, I encourage it."
Harry laughed then lifted his head to glare mockingly. "I'm not into bestiality Malfoy."
Draco delicately wrinkled his nose with distaste. "I should hope not Potter," he said, sounding slightly horrified.
They both dissolved into laughter; the last remaining tension of the day melting away completely.
Harry raised one hand and moved it through the air as though sweeping something off of a shelf. The drapes immediately pulled closed and the torches blazed to life then dimmed to a muted glow. He settled back down against Draco's shoulder with a sigh of contentment, Draco's fingers still carding through his thick hair, dragging pleasantly against his scalp.
"Show off," Draco muttered, not quite able to conceal the trace of fondness.
Harry frowned and sat up, Draco's hand falling from his head. "I just realised I didn't attempt to use wandless magic against the Professor earlier. I didn't even think of it."
"That's probably a good thing," Draco replied sombrely. "Omegas in heat are notorious for bouts of uncontrolled magic. You might have done something to him that you would later regret."
"That's right…" Harry replied vaguely, recalling that fact from his Omega book.
"Come here." Draco pulled him back down against him. "We need to talk about you becoming an Auror next year."
Harry blinked at the sudden subject change. He relaxed back against the Alpha, deciding to accept the change of topic for the clear diversion that it was meant to be. "Er, we do?" he replied lightly, absently tracing a finger around Draco's exposed hip.
Draco nodded, serious. "Yes, I must confess that I'm not keen on the idea of you putting yourself in harm's way on a daily basis, especially…"
"Yeah?" Harry prompted with a smile.
Draco cleared his throat. "Especially once we start a family and you have children at home depending on you," he managed to say, somewhat uncomfortably.
Harry's smile grew as he listened, continuing to trace tiny circles around Draco's pale skin. "Are you forbidding me from joining the Aurors?" he asked, injecting a faux note of warning into his tone.
Draco shifted under him. "No… I'm not," he replied slowly - and very diplomatically. "But I would have thought that your family would mean more-"
Harry laughed. "Okay stop, it's alright, I'd already made up my mind to not join up with the Aurors."
"You did?"
"Yeah." Harry grinned and looked up at him. "I don't want to chase escaped Death Eaters or rising Dark Lords. As soon as I found out that I was an Omega and could have children, I knew I probably wouldn't want that lifestyle anymore. I don't want my family to worry about me or take the chance that I might not come home to them one night. I know what it's like to not have parents and I don't want to inflict that on my own children. Our children," he corrected softly.
Draco smiled, looking relieved - and a little emotional.
Harry placed a tender kiss to his shoulder before settling back against him.
"Not to mention the added stress on your husband," Draco said haughtily, trying cover up how affected he was by Harry's words. "I wasn't made for changing nappies Potter."
"Husband?" Harry repeated with a raised brow. "Are you going to make a respectable man out of me Malfoy?"
"That would be an impossible task," Draco shot back with a smirk, causing Harry to laugh.
"That being said, I'm not entirely sure what I want to do after Hogwarts," Harry continued, entangling his fingers with Draco's over his lap. "Remember when you suggested I not do anything at all?" he added, remembering their brief and disastrous Hogsmeade trip.
Draco nodded with a slight smile. "Yes, even then I knew that I didn't like the idea of you in danger," he noted.
"If we're not required to live at the Manor, then where are we going to live?" Harry asked. "Where we settle will probably narrow down our career choices."
"What about with your family?"
Harry swallowed, realising that he'd never really discussed the Dursley's with his mate. He didn't think Draco would be too happy to hear of their treatment of him.
"No, they don't have the room," he replied vaguely. "Plus they live in a Muggle neighbourhood."
"Alright, we'll find our own place," Draco concluded then asked, "how did they handle you going into your inheritance over the summer? Were they surprised?"
Harry nearly choked on his snort of derision. "They don't know anything about our world, including anything about Alphas or Omegas. Plus, they weren't even home all summer."
Draco frowned in confusion. "You were alone? Where were they?"
Harry sighed and knew that he would have to explain everything; there would be too many lies between them otherwise.
"My Aunt and Uncle," he began slowly, reluctantly, "are not… comfortable with having a wizard in the family." He sighed and decided to be blunt. "They basically hated me and treated me like a slave while I lived under their roof. They left the house when the war was getting too close to home and they promised to stay away until I left for Hogwarts this year. With any luck, I'll never have to see them again."
Draco swallowed, clearly attempting to rein in his outrage. "Their nephew is one of the most famous and powerful wizards of our time - and they treat you with nothing but contempt?"
Harry sighed and ran a soothing hand down Draco's arm. "Don't worry about it; I'm used to it. Hogwarts is my real home. I do own a house that my godfather left to me but… I'm not quite ready to live there yet. That's why I didn't stay there over the summer, too many memories."
"Are you speaking of Sirius Black's home?" Draco asked and Harry nodded in confirmation. "My mother told me that his old home in Muggle London went to you. I can't believe… I never knew you had such an unhappy home life, I always thought you had a family like the Weasley's; all noisy and caring and… and Muggle."
Harry couldn't help but laugh. "Not even remotely. Thank Merlin I had the Weasley's; they were my unofficial surrogate family - still are, in fact."
Draco tightened the arm around his mate in response. "I suppose I need to apologise to Weasley and make amends then."
"Yes you do," Harry replied unequivocally. "If I have to make nice with your parents then you have to be civil to Ron and Hermione."
"Duly noted Potter," Draco replied with an exaggerated sigh, causing Harry to elbow him in the side.
"Ruffian."
Harry grinned and Draco's soft laughter blew across the top of his hair, unsettling a few strands onto his forehead.
"If you feel up to attending class tomorrow, then I shall speak to them first thing," Draco promised.
"Thank you," Harry replied sincerely then covered a yawn with one hand. "I think I'm ready to sleep now," he said with a somnolent smile.
Draco nodded in agreement, looking just as drained as Harry felt.
They pulled apart and slid beneath the heavy quilt, lying on their sides, facing each other.
Harry smiled and closed his eyes as Draco lifted a hand to extinguish the flickering torches. "This is nice, this… sharing a room thing," Harry stated drowsily.
Draco smiled at him, barely visible in the darkened room. "Go to sleep Potter."
Harry's smile widened and he curled into his pillow a little before sleep swiftly carried him away.
. . . .
"Weasley?"
Harry held his breath as Draco approached Ron in the Great Hall at breakfast the next morning. He and Draco had entered the Hall together, holding hands for everyone to see to confirm the rumours that had been flying around the castle since the incident in DADA the day before. They'd both agreed to be open about their relationship and deal with the repercussions as they came - unpleasant as they may be.
"Malfoy," Ron replied tersely, hand tightening around the handle of his spoon as he looked up.
Harry noticed Hermione biting her lip next to Ron, watching with worried eyes. He turned back to Ron, hoping his friend would be reasonable.
Draco cleared his throat, grey eyes flicking around the hushed Gryffindor table a moment before coming back to rest on Ron's face. "I would like to offer my apologies for yesterday; I am still new to having a mate and I… clearly need to work on my Alpha instincts when it comes to Harry and his safety."
Harry couldn't help but smile, Draco was acting so stiff and formal that it made him want to laugh. He was such a different person behind closed doors; when it was just the two of them sitting in their bed, wearing next to nothing and threading fingers through hair or running warm hands along bare skin, talking and trading stories and making each other laugh…
Harry felt that same rush of warmth in his chest that made him want to smile and drag his mate back to their room to hide away from the rest of the world again.
"Harry?"
Harry blinked and came back to himself, noticing that both Ron and Draco were staring at him expectantly. "Sorry, what?"
Ron rolled his eyes and glanced at Draco. "I think the daft grin on his face answers my question."
Harry frowned, suspecting he should be embarrassed - if Draco's smug smirk and Ron's exasperation were anything to go by.
"Alright Malfoy," Ron said, setting his spoon down next to his half-eaten porridge. "I'm willing to let bygones be bygones as long as you treat Harry well and don't fucking hex me again." He stuck out his hand.
Draco's smirk remained firmly in place as he reached out to accept the handshake. "I shall do my best Weasley."
Harry snorted and shared a look with Hermione. She hid a grin in her tea as she turned away to face the table once more, affecting nonchalance as though she - and the rest of the table - hadn't just been listening in to every word. He knew she was more than likely thinking the same thing: that Ron and Draco would be quarrelling again by the end of the week.
"Hungry Harry?" Draco asked, breaking through his distracted thoughts.
"Uh yeah, famished actually." Harry was about to step over the bench in front of him and sit down when he suddenly realised that they hadn't discussed which house table to sit with at meal times.
"Here is fine," Draco murmured into his ear with an amused smile.
The entire table eyed them with interest as they took their seats, except for Ron and Hermione who had returned to their breakfast.
"Slytherin table at tea then?" Harry suggested as he loaded his plate with food. He was starving after all the excitement of yesterday.
"Agreed," Draco accepted easily. He reached for the platter of sausages, glaring at one of the second years that was openly staring at him. The student's eyes widened and he quickly turned away with a squeak. Draco smirked with satisfaction before politely offering some sausages to Harry.
Harry just shook his head at his mate and accepted the food. Some things about Draco Malfoy would never change and, Merlin help him, he kind of liked it that way.
"How are you feeling today Harry?" Hermione asked, closing the book she had open on the table next to her goblet of pumpkin juice.
"Better thanks," Harry replied as he added marmalade to his buttered toast. He knew the rest of the table would think she was merely referencing the Stinging Hex incident and not him going into heat yesterday. That fact had thankfully remained confidential.
"How are the new rooms?" Ron asked around a mouthful of scrambled eggs. "Dorm room isn't the same without you mate."
"I know, I've been in the same room as you for six years," Harry replied emphatically, and then glanced at Draco. "But… change can be good," he added with a furtive grin.
Draco returned the smile before taking a sip of his tea, appearing quite at home behind enemy lines.
Breakfast was interrupted by the arrival of the morning post; loads of multi-coloured envelopes and rolled up newspapers carried in the talons of dozens of owls soaring through the large Hall.
Harry, Ron and Hermione continued to eat their breakfast. All three of them had been boycotting The Prophet ever since the war, when it began printing absolute rubbish about Harry on a daily basis.
Harry turned at the sound of Draco choking on his tea and saw the blond staring at the front page of The Prophet across the table from them. He followed Draco's gaze and his own eyes widened in shock; staring back at him was a photograph of Harry and Draco taken during the Death Eater trials, when Harry had spoken on behalf of Draco and his mother. The photo's repeating loop merely showed them glancing at one another with a stand-offish expression that could either be a glare or stubborn indifference, yet the headline screamed "Harry Potter a Male Omega and Mated to a Death Eater!"
"Well of course you're male, do they really need to spell that part out?" Hermione said with a roll of her eyes.
"That was quick…" Harry uttered as Draco leaned across the table and snatched the paper directly out of Neville's hands.
"Hey! I was reading that Malfoy!"
Harry shot Neville an apologetic look before leaning over Draco's shoulder to read.
"What's it say?" Ron demanded impatiently.
"Our Chosen One and brilliant hero, Harry Potter," Harry read aloud, tone instantly turning scornful, "is once more making headlines because of his newly established Omega status. The-Boy-Who-Lived reached the age of eighteen this past summer and, it has recently been discovered, come into his inheritance as an Omega. He is the first male Omega in more than one hundred years-"
"What a load of rubbish," Hermione interrupted with disgust. "It hasn't been over a hundred years."
"- and is now mated to none other than Draco Malfoy, the son of Lucius Malfoy. Malfoy Senior is currently under house-arrest because of his reprehensible actions during the war. How can Harry Potter enter into a family with such a dark past? A reliable source close to Potter has said that Harry and Draco Malfoy have never been friends and were even considered rivals at one time. One wonders if our poor orphan is swayed by the deep-seated longing for a family of his own, regardless of what that family may be like or what young Malfoy's true intentions are-"
Harry stopped reading and seized the newspaper right out of Draco's hands before crumpling it into a ball and tossing it onto the floor, a furious expression on his face.
"Harry," Neville whinged. "I wanted to read that."
"That drivel isn't worth your time Neville," Harry snapped back, green eyes blazing. He withdrew his wand with every intention of setting the newspaper ablaze on the floor but Draco quickly pressed a hand to his wand arm, stilling him.
"As much as I love your indignant rage Potter," he said quietly. "The Headmistress is watching."
Harry glanced over to see McGonagall standing up at the head table, looking as though she were about to storm down the aisle towards him. He reluctantly sheathed his wand and turned his back on the discarded newspaper.
Harry exhaled and ran an agitated hand through his hair, still fuming. It didn't help that he was surrounded by students still reading the offending article all around him. He glanced at his mate. "You okay?" he asked under his breath.
Draco smirked and took up his tea once more, holding it in one hand, pinkie extended. "Never better Potter."
Harry couldn't help but chuckle; wondering how he had become the hot-headed one and Draco the cool, composed one.
"Just wait 'til the howlers start coming in," Ron pointed out, glaring at two third year girls eagerly poring over the article down the table from him.
"I'll speak to McGonagall," Draco calmly interjected. "There's no reason we can't put a stop to any post addressed to Harry or myself for a time."
"Great idea," Hermione said with a tentative smile at Draco. "As Hogwarts students, I'm sure the school will step up to protect you from such malicious defamation."
"Why start now?" Harry muttered sarcastically, earning a snort from Ron. He set down his fork with a sigh. "I think I've lost my appetite."
Hermione frowned and opened her mouth to scold him but Draco beat her to it.
"Eat Potter. You need to replenish yourself after yesterday," he instructed firmly. "Don't let those sad old buggers at the Prophet bother you."
Draco pointedly picked up his discarded fork and held it out to him. He flashed Harry a brief smile as Harry's fingers curled around the utensil before turning back to his own meal.
Harry flushed at the smirk Hermione was giving him before turning away to scoop up his cooling eggs.
For the first time, he wasn't completely alone in The Prophet's attacks. In fact, it was Draco who was bearing the brunt of the horrible comments, this time painting Harry as the victim in it all. As he ate, he wondered if he should actually write them a letter or - shudder - give a brief interview to clear everything up.
He cupped his tea between his hands and blew on the steaming liquid. It would be nearly impossible to alter people's perception of Draco if their minds had already been made up. Time would eventually expose the truth, he supposed. Hopefully the papers would become bored and move on to something else soon.
"We'd better get to class," Ron said, interrupting his thoughts as he withdrew long legs from beneath the table and stood up, shoving one last triangle of toast into his mouth.
"Yeah, alright." Harry downed the rest of his tepid tea and stood with the rest of the group, trying to ignore the fact that almost every remaining student had their eyes on him.
The four made their way to the doors and out into the entrance hall.
"See you in History of Magic?" he said to Draco as he slung his bag up onto his shoulder. He and Ron had Care of Magical Creatures while Hermione and Draco had Ancient Runes first.
"Of course." Draco flashed him another one of those warm, brief smiles that Harry was growing to love as they seemed to be for him and him alone. "Don't be late Potter," he imparted with a soft touch to his hand before walking off towards the staircase.
Harry pulled Hermione aside before she could follow. "Could you maybe… keep an eye on him for me? Make sure no one is harassing him?"
"Yeah, of course Harry." Hermione smiled, eyes softening. "I'll take good care of your mate for you, though I must say, I don't think he needs it; he's really taking all of this in stride."
"Yeah, I know," Harry replied, glancing at Ron. "I keep waiting for the penny to drop but… I'm starting to think it's not going to."
"Nah, it won't," Ron stated confidently, causing the other two to look at him in surprise. "Well, he's an Alpha and Harry's his mate… Nothing's more important than that, is it?"
Harry grinned at him and adjusted his bag as he was jostled by some passing students. "Hey Ron, weren't you just saying that you needed Hermione's help for our Potions essay? Perhaps you two should meet up at lunch to… study?"
Ron glared at him while Hermione shrugged.
"Sure, we could meet in the library; I have some extra-curricular projects I really need to get started on."
"Uh great, see you there!" Ron forced a smile before grabbing Harry's arm and dragging him off through the main doors of the school and out into the grounds. "What the fuck Harry?" he hissed as they walked across the vast lawns, the grass still glittery and crunchy beneath their feet from the overnight frost.
Harry laughed. "Don't you think it's time you actually toldHermione that you want to be with her?" he asked without hesitation. "At least ask her out to Hogsmeade or something - before somebody else does."
Ron pursed his lips and didn't say anything, but Harry could see the wheels turning in that ginger head of his and nodded with satisfaction. He was tired of their dithering.
The two Gryffindors made it to Hagrid's hut and stopped outside to wait for the rest of the class, giving a wave to Hagrid as he set up some sort of complicated contraption within the small paddock next to his garden. It looked very much like a giant mouse trap and Harry wondered what on earth it was supposed to catch.
"Harry?"
Both Harry and Ron turned to see Blaise Zabini standing behind them.
"Hi," Harry replied, bemused. "What are you doing here? You're not in this class, are you?"
Blaise smiled and shook his head, stuffing his hands into the pockets of his warm black cloak. "No, I have Ancient Runes. Do you have a minute?"
"Uh sure, I guess," Harry replied slowly, glancing at Ron who immediately scowled at the Slytherin.
"I'm sure you can speak to both of us Zabini," Ron said, a clear warning in his tone.
Blaise frowned. "Actually it's private."
"It's okay Ron," Harry intervened, not wanting the two Alphas to get out of hand; he'd dealt with that enough lately. "I'll just be over here."
Ron huffed and crossed his arms over his chest as he watched Harry and Blaise wander off, away from the gathered group of students.
Once they were far enough away not to be overheard, Blaise turned to Harry, hands still tucked into his pockets. "I saw the article this morning," he started carefully.
"Yeah?" Harry replied, trying not to sound instantly defensive.
"I just… I just wanted to say that I don't think Malfoy is the right match for you."
Harry's eyes widened, he hadn't expected that to come out of the Slytherin's mouth. "What?"
Blaise shifted uncomfortably but held his gaze. "There are… things you don't know about him."
Harry's heart skipped a beat. "What are you talking about?"
"Draco is… hiding something."
"Yeah, what?" Harry challenged, sensing that Blaise didn't actually know anything - confirmed with the next words out of his mouth.
"I don't know exactly, but he's always distanced himself from all of us in Slytherin, never really talking about himself in detail. It's like he becomes skittish when conversation turns towards his home life, and he never invites anyone over to his home for a visit - ever."
Harry narrowed his eyes. "Perhaps he's just private; he's not the type to display his emotions openly or easily, is he? Or maybe he's embarrassed about his parent's role in the war and would rather not join in discussions that could turn to talk of Voldemort or what his parents are up to now or what they did then..."
"No, this has been going on since first year," Blaise insisted.
Harry crossed his arms over his chest with an impatient sigh, wanting to give the impression of indifference as much as possible. "Did you actually have a point to make Blaise? Because I'm late for class …"
"I would like to offer myself to you as a secondary Alpha."
Harry's lips parted in shock. "A… what?"
Blaise licked his lips and took a step closer. "I've known you were an Omega since the first of September."
"You have?"
Blaise nodded. "Ever since you shook my hand on the train, supporting our mixed study group idea."
Harry recalled that moment but couldn't remember Blaise acting any differently afterwards. "Then… why did you wait so long to say something?"
Blaise smiled. "I thought I'd play it cool and try to be friends first, since nobody else seemed to realise the truth. Guess I shouldn't have waited quite so long."
Harry frowned, confused. "Then why did you stand me up for our Hogsmeade outing?"
Blaise's smile turned into a scowl. "Draco ordered me not to go and insisted that he take my place."
Harry raised a brow. "And… you just let him?"
"No, he challenged me," Blaise muttered through pressed lips. "And won."
"He… fought you? Like with his hands?" Harry couldn't help exclaiming in astonishment.
Blaise chuckled. "No, it was a proper duel - with wands. It was all very civilised."
"Oh… okay. Well good," Harry replied uncertainly. He absently pushed his glasses back up his nose with a sigh. "Look Blaise, I… I'm not really sure how to say this without hurting your feelings but I've only ever been drawn to Draco. Even when I still thought he was an absolute git, I still wanted to be with him. And…I've never wanted to have more than one Alpha, it's not really my… thing," he added uncomfortably.
"I understand," Blaise replied, sounding sincere, and, before Harry could react, he'd taken his hand in his. "Please think about it though, and remember what I said about being careful around Malfoy, I would hate to see you hurt Harry."
Blaise withdrew his hand and smiled warmly before turning and heading back towards the school.
Harry stared after him for a moment, shell-shocked. That was... surreal. He shook his head and re-joined the group of students lined up along the paddock fence, listening to Hagrid as he demonstrated what the strange wooden contraption was for. There was a strange feathery animal calmly sitting next to him on the ground.
"What was that about?" Ron whispered as soon as he was next to him.
Harry kept his eyes on Hagrid as he whispered back. "He offered to be a second Alpha to me."
"What? Are you serious?" Ron gaped.
"Yeah," Harry replied with a nod.
There was no way he was going to mention that Blaise also suspected Draco of keeping secrets. Ron would then ask if Draco was hiding something and it would all get a little too close to the truth, and Harry knew he wasn't a good enough liar to muddle his way through thatparticular web of lies. Especially as Ron probably didn't fully trust Draco yet, their truce was still very new and fragile.
"What did you say?"
Harry looked at him. "I said no, of course. I'm not interested in having fifty Alphas - one is plenty."
Ron snorted, relaxing as he turned back towards Hagrid. "Malfoy will not be pleased to hear that other Alphas are sniffing around you - right here at Hogwarts no less."
"I'm sure he'll be fine," Harry said with an unconcerned shrug.
"He might be cross that it was his best mate though," Ron pointed out.
"I don't think they're all that close actually," Harry said vaguely.
The two tuned back in to Hagrid as he asked for a volunteer, the white feathery animal now perched atop his woolly head and peering at the students with curiosity.
. . . .
As soon as class was over, Harry hurried back up to the school with Ron. He wanted to speak to Draco as soon as possible to warn him that Blaise was becoming suspicious of him. He didn't really think it was something to be concerned about though as Blaise had been suspicious for the past seven years without uncovering anything.
He knew he also needed to tell Draco about Blaise's offer; if there was one thing he never wanted between him and his mate, it was secrets and lies. Plus, Blaise might surprise Draco by challenging him to a… a duel or something, and he wanted Draco to be prepared. Just in case.
He stopped outside the door to the History of Magic classroom, telling Ron to go on inside without him.
The other students slowly trickled in, either openly staring at Harry as they passed by or staring hard at the floor and avoiding his gaze altogether.
"You're early Harry."
Harry turned to see Hermione and Draco walking up the corridor towards him. "Uh yeah, I needed to speak to Draco about something."
"Must be the same thing that Draco just has to speak to you about too," Hermione replied with a wink before disappearing into the stuffy classroom.
Harry frowned in confusion as he turned to Draco.
Draco took him by the elbow and steered him away from the classroom door to a quiet alcove across the corridor.
"What is it?" Harry asked nervously, reacting to the tension he could feel rolling off the Alpha in waves.
Draco withdrew something that looked like yellowed parchment from deep within his pocket. "I received this letter in the post."
Harry took it from his outstretched hand with a frown. "I didn't see you get any letters this morning…"
"The owl was trained to give it to me only when I was alone."
Harry's trepidation only grew at his words, hoping it wasn't a personal attack on his mate due to The Prophet article already. He opened the folded parchment and read the simple message:
Your presence is required Sunday, September 27th at 7:00 p.m. in the Board Room.
Harry looked up with a bewildered frown. "Who is this from?"
Draco took the letter back and folded it into his pocket. "It's from The Board," he said with quiet emphasis. "And it was addressed to the both of us."
"Oh." Harry's eyes widened as he cottoned on; he was to meet the official Board that resided over the Nundu. "Oh fuck…"
"Indeed," Draco replied dryly. "I guess they saw the article."
Harry swallowed and tried not to panic.