Harry woke with a start, and for one terrifying moment thought he was trapped in a room full of Fiendfyre.
He sat up with a loud gasp, beads of sweat running in rivulets down his forehead and temples, the back of his pyjama top was soaked through and sticking to his skin.
He was so incredibly hot and the room spun around him as his eyes attempted to focus without his glasses.
Harry quickly began to unbutton his sodden pyjamas, his fingers flying over the buttons and then ripping the garment off and throwing it to the ground. The rest of his clothes soon followed until he was naked on the bed, chest heaving.
Harry dropped his head into his hands with a muted moan as the heat continued to lick up his chest. His face felt as though it was on fire and his hair was plastered to his scalp with sweat.
He was really thirsty, and he suddenly remembered Pomfrey's Cooling Potion. Harry quickly stumbled out of bed and over to the cabinet. He uncorked the pale blue potion and downed it all as quickly as possible, barely managing to not choke in his haste. The liquid was cool on his tongue and he could feel it running down his throat and into his stomach, leaving a trail of refreshing iciness in its wake. The cool stone floor on his bare feet also seemed to help ease the intensity of the burning.
It only took about twenty seconds for the unbearable heat to diminish a bit and Harry exhaled shakily, leaning against the wall and willing his initial panic to recede.
Harry swallowed and ran a hand through his damp hair. Now that he didn't feel as though he was about to spontaneously combust, some of the other signs of his heat slowly began to surface. Namely the fact that he had a raging hard-on.
As soon as he became conscious of this fact, he could think of little else. His body was thrumming with a simmering heat and his groin was positively throbbing; aching with the need to be touched.
He felt as though if he didn't come soon he would die.
Harry dropped a hand to wrap around his stiff cock and his knees nearly buckled at the intense pleasure. He leaned back against the wall and began to stroke, eyes falling closed as his free hand began to run over his naked body, tweaking his peaked and sensitive nipples and then running down his chest and stomach to lightly squeeze his bollocks.
Harry opened his eyes when his exploring fingers suddenly touched upon something wet. He reached around behind himself and moaned under his breath as his fingers caressed his hole, which was oddly loose and wet, the warm fluid dripping out as he tentatively pressed the tip of his index finger inside.
Harry moaned loudly, wantonly, as his finger pushed all the way in and his other hand continued to firmly stroke his aching cock. It was awkward attempting to do both at the same time, but the sensation was mind-blowing.
Harry's breath hitched and suddenly he was coming; toes curling against the floor as he spurted out over his fist.
He withdrew his finger from his arse as his head tipped back against the wall, his breathing ragged, his other hand still loosely grasping his prick.
Harry slowly opened his eyes and glanced down. It seemed his erection wasn't waning; in fact, it was still aching and throbbing with obvious need. The respite from his orgasm was all too brief, only lasting a few seconds.
Harry moaned, this time with dismay.
He tightened his hand around his erection and began to stroke again, using his still warm ejaculate to aid his hand in smoothly gliding up and down, hips pumping into his fist as the aching decreased at his touch.
After about a minute of wanking, Harry frowned; something was wrong, it just didn't feel like enough this time.
Even his fingers weren't enough as he reached back and inserted them back into his wet hole, the movement squelching loudly with his body's naturally created lubricant as he began to pump them in and out.
Harry growled in frustration; desperately wanting to come again but it just wasn't working.
He moved closer to the bed, looking for something to help - anything to ease the feeling of utter dissatisfaction roiling through him. His hand continued to absentmindedly stroke his flushed and swollen cock as he glanced around the small room.
He scowled in irritation when there was absolutely nothing to help him out.
Madam Pomfrey left potions but she should have left a fucking dildo to stick up my arse," he thought viciously.
His body heat was beginning to increase again as his frustration flared; the potion was no match for his fiery annoyance. His mind was quickly becoming muddled with arousal and aggravation, boiling together to fuel a frenzied need.
Harry whimpered as he continued to stroke himself ineffectually. Merlin, he needed his Alpha, nothing else was going to even come close to satisfying him in this state.
"Harry?" Draco's voice suddenly drifted through the door as though he had a direct link to Harry's thoughts.
Harry stumbled over and knelt down, bracing one hand on the door and leaning his forehead against the cool surface. "Draco…" he practically sobbed, closing his eyes and giving his tender cock a light squeeze.
"Harry, what's happening? I woke to feel your distress and your scent coming through the vent… it's so strong," Draco replied, his voice sounding sleep roughened and causing Harry's prick to pulse with need. "Are you all right?"
"No." Harry shook his head, his forehead still pressed to the door. "I… Fuck, I can't bear this. I need you. You can't be out there, I need you with me. In me."
"Harry…" Draco replied, voice tight. "I can't do that, you know I can't be in there with you. Even if I wanted to, I can't get through this door. Pomfrey has my wand."
Harry choked on a sob at his mate's words. Merlin, his body was aching so badly it almost hurt. "I can't do this," he whimpered. "I can't. Nothing is helping, not even my own hand, it just burns and aches so much… Please do something Draco."
"I can't," Draco replied, sounding pained. "Should I leave? Perhaps I am making it worse..."
Harry's eyes flew open and he banged his fist against the door. "No!" he shouted. "Don't leave. I… maybe you can talk me through it?" he suggested, taking a deep breath and exhaling, trying to will away the all-encompassing heat of his arousal.
"I'll do anything, just tell me what I can do," Draco replied, an edge of desperation suddenly sharpening his voice.
Harry swallowed and glanced down at his poor reddened prick. "Maybe if I close my eyes, I can pretend yourhands are on me and you… you can talk to me as though you're touching me."
"All right," Draco agreed thickly, sounding affected in a different sort of way now.
Harry nodded to himself, already feeling a little better. "Tell me… tell me what to do," he instructed throatily as he held his arms out to the side and waited for his Alpha's instructions.
There was a slight shuffling as though Draco was settling in as close to the vent as possible.
"I want you to drag your left hand down your cheek to your mouth," Draco ordered, voice oddly low and husky, the tone immediately settling over Harry and drawing him in as he did as he was told. "Then slip two fingers into your mouth and gently suck on them, wet them…."
Harry moaned deep in his throat as he obeyed; his index and middle finger slipping into his mouth. He wrapped his lips tightly around them and sucked lightly, his tongue wrapping around them and stroking, wetting, almost as though it were a sensual kiss.
"Now take your other hand and run it down the side of your neck until you reach my claiming mark, then lightly scratch your nails over it."
Harry's heart pounded and his breathing was fast becoming uneven as he willingly complied. He ran his fingers down over his heated skin until they reached the spot where he knew the mark to be, and then he curled his fingers, lightly dragging his nails over the scar.
Harry gasped as shivers instantly ran up and down his spine and his cock throbbed in time with his heartbeat. He moaned around his fingers as he continued to suck them diligently.
"Good boy," Draco praised breathily, his voice thick with arousal, and Harry could picture his mate's grey eyes silvery and half-lidded in the darkened infirmary. "Now, take your fingers out of your mouth and lay down on the floor on your back."
Harry quickly complied, holding his breath in anticipation of his Alpha's next command.
"Bend your knees and plant your feet on the floor."
Harry obediently bent his knees, his hips unconsciously thrusting up into the air, desperate for contact, his hands flat to the floor and fingers clenched against the rough stone.
"Now put those wet fingers in your arse Potter."
Harry's breath caught in his throat as he moved his hand down and inserted his fingers, careful to not touch his aching erection, which was lying flat and swollen to his stomach.
"Are they in?"
"Yes…" Harry gasped, back arching off the ground as he pushed them in as far as he could.
"Now close your eyes and forget that it's your hand. I'm the one touching you Harry. You're my mate and I'm the only one who can make you feel this good. "
"Yes…." Harry hissed as his eyes fell shut and he lost himself in the sensation, his Alpha's voice wrapping around him and filling him up, taking over everything else.
"You feel so good Harry…" Draco moaned through the door. "So tight. Now fuck yourself on my fingers."
"Ungh…" Harry groaned as he began to pump his fingers in and out.
"That's it, get my fingers nice and wet Harry. Are you doing it?"
"Yes… yes," Harry answered dutifully, eyes squeezed shut as he pushed into his stroking digits, his cock still untouched and throbbing, but it was bearable now.
"Good boy." Draco's voice was low and tight. "Now put a third finger in."
Harry slid another digit in alongside his other two, his loosened rim easily accepting the addition. His hips rose to meet each push and he curled his fingers to brush against his prostate and he nearly screamed at the pleasure that rocketed through his bowed body. A continuous stream of moans and panting breaths spewed forth from his parted his lips as he followed his mate's orders; fucking himself on his fingers, his hips picking up speed.
"Fuck Harry, I want you so badly… want to knot you…" Draco's voice was breathless and rough, and Harry vaguely wondered if his mate was wanking on the other side of the door.
"Oh god yes… want your knot inside me," Harry gibbered, eyes still shut, picturing his mate's swollen cock deep inside of him. "Want you to come inside of me…"
Draco moaned and Harry curled his fingers again, pressing against his prostate and nearly coming untouched, purely from the sound of his mate's pleasure and his own fingers.
"Touch yourself Harry," Draco rasped desperately. "Put your hand on your cock and come on your fingers."
Harry immediately wrapped his free hand around his neglected erection and fisted himself, his pre-come sliding wetly against his palm as he pulled at a rapid pace.
"I want to hear you come."
Harry moaned, holding his fingers still inside of himself as his other hand flew over his cock. "So close…" he ground out. "Draco…"
Draco moaned under his breath, the sound drifting in through the vent along with the sound of skin on skin as his mate frantically stroked himself on the other side of the door, the musky scent of his Alpha's arousal wafting in through the slats and filling Harry's nose.
The scent of his aroused mate hit Harry hard and he suddenly stiffened, arching into his hand and crying out sharply as he came in great ropes of warm ejaculate all over his hand and chest. His orgasm exploded through his entire body, from head to toe, before slowly fading away and leaving him limp and spent on the floor.
All Harry could hear was the sound of his own breath, coming fast and shallow, as he recovered.
He slowly dragged his eyes open and glanced towards the vent in the door. He couldn't see through it, but he could smell that Draco had come as well. The air was thick with the smell of sex.
Harry's erection had finally waned and the heat and arousal in his body felt sated for the moment. It was still there, just under the surface, and he knew it wasn't the end by any means, but it was finally tolerable.
Harry reached out with one shaky arm and tapped the vent once before sliding the tip of his finger through the bottommost slat.
The touch of Draco's finger was there waiting for him and his lips stretched into a tired smile.
. . . .
Harry's heat continued for the next day and a half.
Draco had reminded him of the Calming Draught in between his bouts of intense arousal and need, and Harry had felt instant relief the moment he drank it - not to mention a bit silly for having forgotten it was even there - but his mind was dominated by his heat and it was definitely hard to focus on anything other than the aching need that kept re-emerging after the brief moments of reprieve.
The combination of the Cooling Potion and Calming Draught during daylight hours was able to get Harry through the agony, and as soon as it was dark, Draco was able to talk him through it as they practically made love through the quarantine room door.
Harry suspected that his mate was suffering almost as much as he was during the day; with Madam Pomfrey and various students coming and going in the infirmary, Draco couldn't do anything other than sit there and try to ignore his own erection as he listened to his Omega writhe in the throes of his heat cycle.
Once Harry was confident that his heat was over, he pulled on the cord to alert Madam Pomfrey, his arm feeling abnormally heavy and weak.
The matron opened the door and Harry's cheeks heated in embarrassment as her nose visibly wrinkled a little at what he was sure was a very pungent odor of sex and body fluids.
He didn't have to think about it for long though because he was suddenly enveloped in the arms of one rather frantic Alpha.
Draco dropped his face into Harry's dishevelled hair and inhaled deeply, rubbing his nose in the thick strands before softly kissing Harry's temple, and then his forehead, and then his other temple.
"Ugh… don't," Harry protested, trying to squirm away. "I need a shower."
"No you don't," Draco murmured throatily, apparently enthralled by his mate's sweat-salty skin and strong scent.
Harry yelped when a spell suddenly pushed the two of them apart.
Madam Pomfrey stood with wand in hand, one brow arched, as she surveyed them in disapproval. "I must ask that you refrain from physical contact until you are in your room and out of sight of impressionable young children, gentlemen."
Harry blinked in surprise when Draco issued a growl at the stout matron.
"Easy there Mr. Malfoy," she said calmly, appearing unfazed by his threatening behaviour. "I won't separate you from your mate but you must return to your rooms. I'm sure you would like to allow your tired Omega to rest and get cleaned up," she added pointedly.
Draco instantly ceased his snarling, as though a switch had been flipped, and turned to Harry, grey eyes full of concern.
Madam Pomfrey obviously had experience dealing with newly bonded Alphas.
She nodded in approval and turned away to begin cleaning up the quarantine room. "I've sent one of the house-elves on ahead to your room with your wands and you will find them there waiting for you," she said over her shoulder. "Oh and Mr. Potter?"
Harry turned to her, feeling dead on his feet, his eyes dry and gritty. "Yes?"
"I would stick close to your mate as you walk back to your rooms; he looks as though he won't be quite himself for the next few hours."
Harry nodded tiredly and began to walk towards the exit, too drained to care that he was still dressed in hospital pyjamas. He'd put on a fresh pair when his heat had ended but that was about the extent of his efforts to be socially presentable.
Draco walked beside him, one hand resting on the small of his back.
Luckily, morning classes were already in session and they only ran across one student on their journey to the third floor corridor.
Harry quickly grabbed onto Draco's sleeve and pulled him along as he began to growl at the poor Ravenclaw. It was a clear sign of just how not in his right mind his mate was, as the offending interloper was twelve years old and female.
Harry collapsed into the nearest chair as soon as they were both safely shut away in their private room. "I'm definitely not going to class today," he said wearily, rubbing his eyes beneath his glasses. "Merlin, I need a shower."
He settled his glasses back on his nose and then looked up at Draco. He frowned at the strange gleam in his mate's eyes. "What?"
Draco slowly stalked towards him and Harry suddenly noticed the bulge in the front of his trousers.
"Oh no you don't," Harry exclaimed in alarm as he jumped out of the chair and backed away. "Don't you dare touch me; I'm too bloody tired and sore for that sort of thing right now."
Draco's narrowed eyes followed Harry as he backed all the way across the room towards their ensuite. "You expect me to not touch you after the absolute agony you put me through over the past day and a half Potter?"
"You?" Harry replied incredulously. "Sitting there with an inopportune erection is nothing compared to the fucked up shit that was happening on my side of the door."
Draco blinked, his dilated pupils suddenly shrinking, and then he snickered.
The moment appeared to break whatever aroused Alpha stupor Draco had been stuck in.
Harry couldn't help but smile as he shook his head at his mate. "How about you help me get cleaned up?" he suggested as a compromise. "That bath is big enough for the both of us, and if you do a good job, then perhaps I'll reward you. Later."
"With a blow job?" Draco asked immediately.
Harry laughed with the sort of fond exasperation he reserved especially for Draco. "Yeah, all right."
"Brilliant." Draco smirked in satisfaction.
. . . .
Ron and Hermione,
If our friendship still means something to you, then please meet Draco and I near the entrance doors Saturday morning at eight-thirty. I am proposing a truce, at least for one day, to give you both the chance to get to know my mate properly.
Oh and wear Muggle clothing because we're going out.
Sincerely,
HP
Harry and Draco had decided to remain in their room for the rest of the week; Harry to sufficiently recover from his first real heat and Draco to recover from his exceedingly over-protective and possessive behaviour.
It turned out that keeping Harry away from his mate while Harry was suffering in the midst of his heat had affected Draco in a way that no one could have predicted. He wasn't fit to be around other students because if someone even looked at Harry the wrong way he was likely to hex them.
Harry wasn't about to complain though, he loved having his mate around while he convalesced; Draco was extra attentive and practically catered to his every whim. He'd never experienced having family around to take care of him while he was unwell before - and Draco was his family now. Any time he was sick at the Dursley's they'd just tell him to stay his cupboard until he was over it.
On Saturday morning, Harry and Draco emerged from their sanctuary - where only house-elves had been permitted to come and go for the past few days - and re-entered the real world.
Harry felt rested and refreshed, and ready to face reality again. Draco also appeared to be in control of his responses once more as they passed some of their fellow students without incident. The two mates headed down to the entrance doors, hands clasped; a united front against whatever was about to come their way.
Harry had received a very short note from the other two-thirds of the Gryffindor Trio, agreeing to meet in the entrance hall on Saturday morning, but there had been no pleasantries in the message, and he still didn't know where Ron stood as he hadn't heard from him all week.
He spotted them as soon as they rounded the corner. Ron was seated on the large square base of one of the stone statues, dressed in some worn jeans and a flannel shirt, absently picking at a loose thread on the coat laid out over his knees. Hermione was standing next to him, dressed casually in jeans and a black jumper, while chewing her thumbnail and looking tense.
Ron got to his feet as Harry and Draco approached, looking awkward as he stood beside Hermione, hands shoved into his pockets.
There was a tense silence as Harry and Hermione each waited for the other to speak first.
"So… where are we going?" Ron asked, breaking the uncomfortable stand-off.
"London," Harry answered, turning to him.
Ron's brown eyes flicked to Draco and back. "With Malfoy?"
"You act as though I've never been to Muggle London Weasley," Draco drawled, and Harry wanted to groan at how his mate had already reverted back to his usual haughty posturing.
"Have you?" Ron replied in surprise.
"Yes, he has," Harry quickly intercepted before Draco could take offence. "But not since he was a child, so it'll be fun. For all of us," he added lamely, rubbing the back of his neck and wondering how on earth they were going to get through an entire day together. "Shall we?"
Without waiting for a response, Harry marched past them and through the doors. He buttoned his thick wool peacoat as he crunched across the frozen snow and down the steps, Draco right beside him.
Harry was relieved to see Ron and Hermione catch them up and the four walked silently down the track towards the gates to Apparate.
"Is that a new coat Harry?" Hermione asked as they walked.
"Er, yeah," Harry replied, glancing down at the stylish navy blue coat with a smile. Draco had bought it for him.
"And new glasses too?"
"Yeah, I lost mine and Draco made me a new pair."
"And new clothes too, I see."
Harry frowned a little as he turned his head to glance at her. "Erm, yeah, Draco bought me some new ones." He shared a look with his mate, who was looking decidedly nettled. "Why? Is there a problem?" he asked, confused.
Hermione's answering smile was very unnatural. "Of course not, they just don't seem like you, that's all."
Harry stopped walking. "What are you trying to say?"
The rest of them stopped as well. Draco looked ready to dive in to defend his mate and Ron shifted his weight uncomfortably from foot to foot as Hermione crossed her arms over her chest and stared at Harry.
"I'm just pointing out that Malfoy is changing you - and not for the better."
Harry's brow pulled down into a frown as he stared back at her. "How are new clothes and glasses proof of corruption?" he asked, utterly exasperated by her outlandish accusations. "Most of my existing clothes were my fat cousin's cast-offs because my aunt and uncle refused to spend more on me than they absolutely had to, and the rest of my wardrobe consisted of Molly Weasley jumpers and my school uniform. I'm sorry if you think I'm suddenly evil incarnate just because my coat is Armani."
Hermione blinked and then her lips twitched - and then she was suddenly laughing; a full-belly laugh that Harry hadn't heard in a very long time.
"What's Armani?" Ron asked over her laughter, bewildered.
Draco snorted and Harry quickly placed a hand over his mate's mouth before he could say something detrimental.
Hermione wiped her eyes while a few lingering giggles escaped her lips. Once she'd sufficiently recovered, her smile slowly began to turn contrite. "I'm sorry Harry, you requested a truce for the day and I swore to myself that I would try to keep an open mind. Let's continue on shall we?"
Harry smiled and nodded in relief.
The foursome began walking towards the gates once more, the atmosphere a little more relaxed.
They agreed on an Apparation Point in Diagon, and then from there, they all walked out through the Leaky Cauldron and onto Charing Cross Road in Muggle London. There wasn't any snow in London but the late October air was crisp and cold, and Harry was thankful for his cosy wool coat.
"How about we head somewhere warm?" Harry suggested as he slid his hands into his pockets.
Ron nodded emphatically as he zipped up his own coat, shoulders hunched against the wind.
"I know of a brilliant coffee shop not far from here," Hermione suggested tentatively as errant curls blew across her face.
"Sounds good to me," Harry replied with a nod before turning to his mate with a questioning gaze.
"Lead the way Granger," Draco agreed as he tucked his arm through Harry's.
The footpath was too crowded with Saturday morning shoppers for any conversation as they walked south along Charing Cross Road. They crossed the street after a few minutes and followed Hermione as she ducked up a side street and then into a small, unassuming shop. The trendy little wooden sign encased with black iron above the door had Notes Coffee scrawled across it.
It was just past nine and the coffee bar had only just opened. The shop's interior was warm and welcoming as they stepped in out of the cold and the air was filled with the smell of sweet things and fresh baking. There were only two other customers seated at one of the tables, and one of the employees flashed the four new guests a smile of greeting as they walked in.
They inspected the menu and then gave their orders to a young girl at the counter before making their way to a table in the back surrounded by pale grey walls and illuminated by trendy lighting. Winter coats were soon discarded and draped over the backs of chairs as they settled round the table to the sound of jazz music playing softly in the background.
"So, is that really Armani?" Hermione asked with a tiny grin.
Harry laughed. "No, that's just the only designer name I know. You ordered it from somewhere, right?" he asked, turning to his mate.
"Yes, a close acquaintance of my mother's is a designer in Paris whom we order most of our clothing from."
"I didn't realise your family wore Muggle clothing often enough to warrant having a designer on call," Hermione mused aloud, and Harry wasn't sure if she was being facetious or spiteful.
"My mother and I both appreciate Muggle fashion," Draco replied steadily. "It has a practicality to it that wizarding fashion is sadly lacking."
"Too right," Ron agreed while tipping his chair back and marveling at the low hanging electric light fixture above his head. "I can't stand robes." He dropped his chair back down and shot Harry a lop-sided grin. "Must be nice having your Alpha buy a new wardrobe for you."
Harry's temper flared for just an instant before he thought about what his friend had said. "You mean, because then I don't have to go out shopping myself?"
"Yeah, I know how much you hate it."
Harry relaxed and smiled back. He really needed to watch his reactions; he was feeling perhaps a little overly sensitive to the situation. Hermione's earlier accusations had him on edge and he didn't want it to ruin a day that was meant to repair relationships.
"Is that why you've been so accommodating?" Draco asked his mate with an arched brow. "Because you're a lazy sod and not because you actually like the things I pick out?"
Harry smiled sheepishly as he shrugged. "Well, at first yeah, but now… I can appreciate the difference in quality and how they make me look."
Hermione smiled. "Whereas before you didn't know you were wearing trousers ten sizes too big for you Harry?"
Harry scowled. "Hey, enough about my clothes. Fucking hell." The young Muggle staff member chose that moment to pop over with their drinks and Harry smiled apologetically. "Sorry."
She waved him off with a grin. "No worries, I've heard plenty worse, believe me," she said good-naturedly as she placed everyone's order in front of them. "Enjoy."
Harry pulled his hot chocolate towards himself and licked a bit of whipped cream off the rather large mound which topped his decadent drink, green eyes flicking to his mate, daring him to make a disparaging remark.
Draco's lips curved into a smile but he remained silent as he reached for his espresso.
Harry caught Hermione watching the exchange with interest and he wondered what she was thinking.
"I didn't know if we were allowed to talk about this today or not…" Ron started hesitantly with a glance towards his girlfriend, "but, what happened last weekend Harry? You were all alone and someone attacked you?"
Harry quickly placed a comforting hand on Draco's knee beneath the table when his mate stiffened at the question. He knew Draco still blamed himself for what happened and Harry hoped Ron wouldn't encourage that guilt in any way.
"Yeah, I was…" Harry trailed off with a sigh, cupping his hands around his warm cup. "It's a long story," he said, knowing there was so much more to the attack than just him being out alone. He tried to sort it in his mind before speaking again.
"You know how Blaise Zabini offered himself to me as an Alpha?" At their nods, he continued, his thumb absently stroking over Draco's thigh to keep him calm. "Well, I kind of forgot to tell Draco."
"Forgot?" Ron repeated incredulously. "How could you forget to tell your mate something like that?"
Harry took a sip of his drink to give himself time to think. He knew exactly why he forgot; he'd been too preoccupied with meeting the Nundu Board and then Draco's subsequent inquiry where he could've very well been found guilty and then executed.
Blaise Zabini's little crush wasn't exactly high on his list of priorities at that time.
"I didn't want to upset Draco," he said once he'd set his drink back down. "I didn't think it was important to tell him if it was just going to cause him distress or instigate a fight between the two of them."
Ron snorted. "That's what happens when you're raised by Muggles," he said with a shake of his head, giving Harry a perfectly reasonable excuse as to why it had slipped his mind. "You really don't know anything about Alphas, mate."
"If I knew it was going to be such an issue, I wouldn't have forgotten," Harry replied honestly.
"So when did he find out?" Ron asked, glancing between the two mates.
"Right before we were meant to leave for the party," Harry answered, flashing a somewhat sheepish smile at his Alpha. He was feeling a bit silly about the whole thing now. He and Draco had both over-reacted, but Harry had been the one who had taken it too far and disregarded his own safety in order to prove a point. "He wasn't pleased," he added dryly.
"It wasn't merely the fact that Harry had forgotten to tell me about Blaise's offer that bothered me," Draco interjected smoothly, one finger circling the rim of his tiny white cup. "It was the fact that Zabini had approached Harry on more than one occasion, and I was completely oblivious to the fact that another Alpha was trying to move in on my mate. It's not that I actually thought Harry was secretly interested in him, it was only that I wasn't prepared for that… turn of events, and I'm afraid I do not handle being caught off-guard very well."
Ron leaned forward in his chair, nodding in understanding - which was a very odd sight for Harry to witness; Ron agreeing with Draco.
"Yeah, I wouldn't be happy if some Alpha was trying to snag Hermione behind my back and she neglected to tell me about it."
Harry rolled his eyes at Hermione who smiled at him over the rim of her teacup. She'd already heard the abridged version of this story in McGonagall's office and was clearly not offering an opinion on the matter.
"Anyway," Harry continued purposely. "Draco no longer wanted to go to the party at the Manor because he didn't want me around Blaise."
"A heat of the moment declaration, I can assure you," Draco stated calmly before taking a sip of his espresso.
"So you don't mind if Harry is around Blaise now?" Hermione asked, and Harry was relieved to note that her tone was curious rather than accusing or suspicious.
Draco shook his head. "Not at all, I trust Harry when he says he's not interested in him. That being said, I do nottrust Zabini and would rather they weren't alone together if it can be helped."
"Fair enough," Hermione conceded, surprising Harry.
"So then Malfoy stayed at Hogwarts while you went to Malfoy Manor on your own?" Ron asked, trying to get back to the subject at hand.
"Yeah, I told Draco I would be in Gryffindor Tower for the night and I went there instead," Harry admitted, getting a little tired of telling people of his deception. It really had been a rather terrible thing to do to his mate.
Draco slipped an arm around the back Harry's chair and Harry unconsciously leaned into the touch.
"And how was the party?" Ron asked, his expression clearly stating that he fully expected the answer to include the words 'fucking awful' and 'complete nightmare.'
Harry grinned. "It was actually really great. I got to meet their close friends, Lucius kindly kept me separated from Blaise, and Narcissa was a complete sweetheart."
Ron and Hermione stared at Harry, frozen with disbelief.
Draco choked on his drink while Harry just laughed at the two gobsmacked Gryffindors.
"Okay, I'm starting to think Hermione was right - you're not the same Harry," Ron said slowly, fearfully. "Malfoy must have cast some sort of dark curse-type thing on you."
"It's not that wand that has Harry under my complete control," Draco drawled with a smirk.
Harry let out a bark of laughter, completely forgetting where he was, while Ron's expression turned to one of disgust and Hermione rolled her eyes.
Harry grinned; it felt good, like the four of them were old friends, instead of two friends he was currently fighting with and a boyfriend whom they both hated and mistrusted.
"I'm serious," Harry finally continued. "Lucius even offered to escort me back to Hogwarts, he was quite concerned that Draco wasn't with me - and now I wish I'd listened to him." He paused and then decided to quickly finish the story. "So, I left the Manor and returned to Hogwarts where these two strangers jumped out of nowhere and stunned me before tossing me into the lake to drown. They didn't know who they were dealing with though," he added with a smile, trying to make light of the situation so that it didn't dampen the mood.
Draco's hand moved from where it had been resting on Harry's shoulder to the base of his neck, fingers idly stroking over the claiming mark in a soothing manner.
"And they haven't caught them yet," Hermione added, forehead creased in thought.
Ron leaned forward, lowering his voice. "So… they could be anywhere. They might've even followed us here."
Harry glanced up, watching as the coffee shop filled with more and more customers, forming a long queue at the counter and rapidly filling the empty tables around them.
"I doubt it," Harry replied, turning back to Ron. "They won't just be wandering around the streets of London, hoping I'll show up. If the Aurors haven't found them yet then they're probably far away."
"I'm sure that won't be the end of it though," Hermione said, gaze shifting to Draco for a moment. "If they were that set on killing Harry, they won't be put off easily. When they hear that he's still alive and kicking, they'll probably be back."
"Which is why Potter is not to go wandering about on his own anymore," Draco intoned evenly, fingers still lightly resting on his mate's claim mark; the tiniest of movements sending a cascade of shivers down Harry's spine.
"Bloody hell…" Ron breathed out as he sat back in his chair. "With You-Know-Who dead, I thought people would stop trying to murder you Harry."
"That's probably why they're trying to murder me," Harry replied sullenly. "I killed off their idol and now his mental followers are trying to get their revenge."
"Perhaps," Hermione said, still frowning thoughtfully. "There could be other reasons too, like maybe someone trying to get revenge on Draco or his family, or perhaps they're not Voldemort followers but men who wanted a male Omega for themselves."
"Well they got one thing right," Harry replied darkly. "I'd rather be dead than forced to be their Omega."
He shuddered just at the thought and Draco subtly pulled him a little closer into the crook of his arm. Harry acknowledged his mate's caring gesture with a soft smile, quietly inhaling his mate's scent and allowing it to flow through his body, settling him.
"Well that's a happy thought," Ron responded sarcastically.
"Yes, Harry has a knack for finding the silver lining in any given situation," Draco drawled.
Harry rolled his eyes but a reluctant smile tugged at his lips as he returned to drinking his cooling hot chocolate. He was feeling decidedly picked on in this conversation but he knew it was good-natured, and Draco felt comfortable enough to join in, so that was a good indication of the current comfort level of his Alpha.
He looked up as Hermione leaned her arms on the table, gaze pinned on Draco. Harry bit his lip nervously, waiting for her to speak, because he knew she was working up to something uncomfortable.
"When Blaise spoke to Ron and I about your family having some big dark secret, that was just because he was jealous and wanted to turn Harry against you?" she asked.
"I really couldn't say," Draco replied slowly, clearly forcing himself to be as candid as possible with the two Gryffindors. "That would be my assumption, as I can think of no other reason." Draco's expression hardened a little. "I find it ironic that he suddenly felt the need to spread this story about me at the same time in which he decided to pursue my mate. He also attempted to convince me that Harry was slipping me Love Potions when I spoke of what was happening at the start of term. I had confided in him my suddenly intense attraction to Potter and that I was thinking of defying my family in order to pursue Harry, whom I still believed to be a Beta at that time, and Blaise was clearly attempting to discourage that idea in order to pursue Harry for himself. Blaise even admitted to Harry that he'd known he was an Omega since our first day, so he already knew truth when he fed me the Love Potion story."
Harry was so proud of his mate in that moment. Draco was obviously trying his hardest to not just get along with Harry's friends, but to be as open with them as he was able to be. For a Malfoy.
"Definitely sounds suspect," Ron concluded, glancing pointedly at Hermione, who slowly nodded in agreement as she absorbed everything that Draco had told them.
"So can we please drop the unnecessary scrutiny of my boyfriend now?" Harry asked with a sigh.
"Fine by me," Ron said with a shrug, gaze connecting with Hermione's again. "He's still a pompous arse but I don't think he's evil."
"I'm offended by that comment Weasley," Draco drawled. "I must be losing my touch."
Harry elbowed him in the ribs, causing his mate to smirk ingenuously.
"Hermione?" Harry questioned, turning to her to see if she would also agree to stop the interrogation.
Hermione bit her lip, dropping her gaze to the table as she fiddled with her empty cup. "Yes, I… I promise to stop being suspicious."
"And you won't ever mention it again?" Harry pressed.
"Mention what exactly?" Hermione hedged.
"This supposed dark secret that Draco is hiding?" Harry clarified. Just uttering that sentence made his heart pound and caused his pulse to jump but he knew he was concealing it well. His intense need to keep his mate and the Nundu Clan safe far outweighed his reluctance to lie to his friends.
"Yes I promise not to bring that up again," Hermione assured him with a sigh of resignation.
Harry nodded, satisfied. He finished off the last of his drink and pushed the empty cup aside.
"Where to next?" he asked round the table, determined to spend the rest of the day forging a genuine friendship between the three most important people in his life.
"I've never been to the zoo," Ron said, a smile suddenly lighting his face. "Muggles have the strangest animals."
Harry raised an incredulous brow at that.
"I too would like to visit the Muggle zoo," Draco put in casually.
Harry suspected his mate was endeavouring to hide his excitement and he thought it was perhaps the cutest thing he'd ever seen.
"Fine with me," Hermione said with a smile, also looking slightly delighted by the idea. "I haven't been there since I was a little girl."
"I went to the zoo once and it's my happiest childhood memory," Harry said dreamily. "I set a huge snake on my cousin Dudley."
The other three eyed him strangely as they stood and gathered their coats.
"Come along my little Parselmouth," Draco quipped as he slung an arm about Harry's shoulders.
"If you make a joke about Harry speaking Parseltongue to your trouser snake then I'm going back to Hogwarts right now," Ron warned the two mates.
"I wasn't going to say anything of the sort," Draco replied with an arched brow. "You think about the two of us having sex more than we do Weasley,"
"Come on," Hermine motioned for them all to leave before another word could be spoken.
. . . .
The four of them caught a bus to the zoo, with both Ron and Draco commenting on its sluggish pace compared to the Knight Bus. They hopped off at the stop directly outside the park and Harry bought their tickets with the stash of Muggle money that he'd brought with him. They then spent the better part of the day slowly meandering through London Zoo's extensive grounds.
As they walked through the Rainforest Life section, Harry ended up walking next to Hermione, their respective partners moving wide-eyed between animal exhibits just ahead of them.
Draco had given up all pretense of disinterest long ago.
Harry smiled fondly as Draco and Ron snickered over the Red Titi Monkeys.
"You really love him, don't you?"
Harry looked over at Hermione.
"And he loves you," she continued without question, looking a little amazed by her own observations.
Harry smiled and turned back to his Alpha. "Yeah, he really does - and I really do."
Hermione smiled at him and it was so heartfelt and sincere, and she looked so genuinely happy for him, that he felt the hot prickle of tears at the back of his eyes.
"I'm glad," she said with quiet sincerity. "You deserve happiness Harry, you deserve to have an attentive partner who loves you and who thinks the world of you, and as much as it pains me to admit that I was wrong, I think Malfoy maybe is that partner. I've seen the way he stares at you when you're not looking, like he can't get enough of you. The entire trip here, all he did was eye the people around us and glare at anyone who got too close to you. You probably didn't even notice."
Harry grinned. "No, I'm so used to it now. I don't even think he knows he's doing it half the time."
Hermione smiled. "At one time that would have bothered you."
Harry nodded. "Yeah, but now… I dunno." He shrugged and turned back to look at his mate as the blond stared up into the trees. "I guess it makes me feel… loved," he described simply. "Not stifled or inferior, or any of the other things that I used to think of at the thought of having an Alpha mate. Draco is protective and possessive, but he's not disrespectful or condescending because I'm an Omega. He's…"
"Perfect?" Hermione hazarded with a teasing grin.
"I wouldn't go that far," Harry laughed and then paused, tilting his head to one side. "Or maybe I would. He's not a perfect person but he's perfect for me. Even though he has all of these stoic Alpha traits, he's still a witty, sarcastic Slytherin too."
"And that's a good thing?"
Harry grinned at her and wondered if she could see the glow of happiness he was feeling. "Yup."
"Hey Harry, I think there's something wrong with this creature!"
Harry walked over to gaze up into the trees alongside his mate, ignoring the strange looks from the people around them.
"This one may need to be put out of his misery," Draco surmised seriously, frowning up at the animal hiding amongst the tree-tops.
Harry squinted upwards until he spotted it. "That's a sloth Draco, he's supposed to move that slowly."
"Oh?" Draco's expression turned to one of critical disapproval. "How inefficient. He should still be put out of his misery, just for being so incredibly useless."
Hermione giggled, but she didn't realise that Draco was being perfectly serious.
"Can you at least make potions out of their body parts?" Ron asked loudly from the other side of Draco.
Harry hid his face in his hands at the horrified looks the Muggles were now directing their way.