Chapter 14: Talk To Me In The Morning After

Chapter Text

Harry woke several times over the weekend.

He didn't register much.

Just that there were a few freshening charms cast on him and nothing more. He slept, rested and enjoyed himself. A few times something would startle him from sleep. He'd wake with an inquisitive sound in the back of his throat and would snuggle back into the blankets at a reassuring growl from Theo. A few times he woke to stretch and roll over before promptly going back to sleep. It was a nice cycle.

At one point, a nice smell stirred him from dreamland and Harry opened his eyes to discover Theo sitting cross-legged on the bed beside him, his honey-gold eyes alight as he pawed through a large bowl of cubed fruit. He'd looked up at Harry's sleepy inquiry and then patted the bed beside him. "Fruit." He said, by way of explanation. "Hungry?" He shifted to share the bowl and Harry realized that Theo's hands had shifted to claws and he was spearing random chunks of fruit before chomping on them. His fangs were slender and delicate to the eye, until Harry saw him take a good bite out of a rounded specimen.

Harry eyed the bowl and his stomach rumbled, reminding him that he wasn't taking care of it—as usual. He struggled to sit up with sleep-weary limbs. He was so tired—and hungry!

Theo frowned and speared a chunk of peach and held it out. "Eat something before you sleep again. It'll help."

Harry yawned—and as he did so, opened his mouth and squeaked when the chunk of fruit was pushed in. He scowled at the older boy who didn't seem to notice as he continued to explore the large bowl of fruit. He ate until he felt comfortably stuffed and sticky with fruit juices. Theo muttered a spell as he sprawled out on the sheets and Harry was happy for his fingers to unstick themselves. He hadn't felt comfortable eating fruit with his claws as Theo had, but he supposed it was because he wasn't just used to it yet. The little detail wasn't missed either—Theo had thought to cast the charm for both of them—Harry was grateful. Sometimes, he really missed having magic.

They slept some more.

Harry woke to Theo's insistent shaking and peered blearily up at the shadowed figure. "Theo?" He mumbled, nestling back into the pillow as the now familiar hands carded through his hair. That felt very nice. He knew the hands and loved the sensation. Now that his curiosity was satisfied, he could go back to sleep.

The hands stopped abruptly and Harry's eyes flew open with a growl forming in the back of his throat. He'd really been enjoying that—it was a completely new experience and he hadn't wanted it to stop. He stared at the amused face, completely unnerved by the humor glittering brightly in the honey-gold eyes smiling down at him. "S'not nice." He managed and resisted the childish urge to pout.

"I could have used a bucket of water, Harry." Theo said, mildly. "Believe me, that was very nice. Now, it's time for you to be up. I'm sure you don't want to be late." Theo rose from the bed and snagged a two-toned scrap of fabric. In minutes, he began to knot his silver and green tie before tucking it into his jumper. "Breakfast is starting in twenty minutes and while I don't mind escorting you up from the dungeons or sharing my wardrobe, you are a Gryffindor. I'm sure the distinct lack of red and gold would give us away."

Harry blinked. Breakfast. Clothes. Gryffindor. Potions Class. Snape. Draco. Madam Pomfrey. Dumbledore. Terius. Running into Theo. His mind suddenly filled the gaps that had eluded him for the past two days. He sat bolt upright with a yell and then a blush as glittering honey-gold eyes raked over him in obvious appreciation. All other thoughts immediately fled.

"Remember something?" Theo asked, too innocently.

Harry snatched the sheets up around him and glared before a sudden flicker of panic set in. He could deal with the conflicting emotions and thoughts later, right now he wanted his head to work. "It's Monday, isn't it?" He swallowed hard. His last lucid memory was somewhere around Friday—Friday afternoon to be precise. His mouth was moving and words were spilling out. He'd slept through the weekend—again—that couldn't possibly be good and now there were sure be rumors flying about and questions that he couldn't answer and then there was Theo and oh joys! Harry ground his teeth together. His life was just one brilliant thing after another. His hands shook faintly with the emotion as he clenched them tight in the bunched sheets. "How long was I…I mean, has no one even…did we-?"

"I told Terius. I think he told Severus. Which probably means that Dumbledore knows and that is probably enough." Theo reasoned, calmly. The pureblood easily ignored the embarrassing half of the question as he reached into his trunk and then brightened. "On second note, it seems the elves are making themselves useful. Your uniform's here and it's clean." He held out a stack of clothes. "A few freshening charms might help."

Harry eyed the stack of clothes and then looked away. "Maybe."

"What's the matter?"

"Nothing."

"Har-ry." The name was drawn out with the faintest flicker of exasperation. "Less than twenty minutes to breakfast. I'm hungry and I'm sure you're the same as you hardly ate more than an apple and a pear put together."

"A what?"

"Inside joke." Theo said, briskly. He reached for the sheets and whisked them away, levitating Harry's newly cleaned clothes into his surprised lap. "Clothes. Dress. Now!" He added, when Harry yelped and made to cover himself as he sat in nothing but his pants. Theo rolled his eyes. "Not that I don't appreciate the view, but it is nothing I haven't seen already." He winked. "And miraculously, I was able to control myself." His stomach rumbled and the pureblood winced. "Would you just hurry already?"

A slightly red-faced, pink-cheeked Harry did so. He stumbled out from the nice, curtained bed and then blinked as Theo caught him, gently, with a arm around the waist. The taller boy hugged him close for a moment and then kissed the top of his head. Harry felt himself flush from the tips of his toes to the tops of his ears. "Harry." The quiet voice was serious. "There is nothing to be ashamed of. We are what we are and nothing will change that." Harry stiffened in his arms.

Freak. The word echoed in his mind. I'm a freak. I'll always be a freak and-

"I cannot change answering your heartcry and you cannot change having called for me. My objections to your initial cry was only that I didn't wish for it to happen under the circumstances it did." Harry turned away, but one of the arms holding him close loosened to allow a hand to cup up and turn his face back to meet the serious gaze of his new mate. "You deserve the world, Harry." He leaned forward and pressed a kiss to the side of that famous scar. "I'd give it to you, if I could." The expert hands began to run up and down Harry's mostly bare body in a rhythm that spoke of familiarity. "I understand there is a great deal we have to discuss but…"

Harry swallowed as Theo's voice faded into the background noise of his head. This was a lot to take in, but he understood some of it—and he was remembering plenty. The conversation with Snape, hearing Draco's cry of distress, learning that Terius was a dragel—and discovering first-hand just how difficult it was to be rejected by his own kind in any way. Running into Theo. The hazy conversation. Being bitten. Being held. Being cuddled, kissed and tenderly cared for. A certain passage about mateship circles in his Care of Magical Creatures textbook. Theo's gentle dominance. Those wicked, wicked hands. The conversation taking place while he zoned out. He came back with a start and heard Theo's quiet chuckle in his ear. It prompted a rush of heat that made him want to shove the other boy away and simultaneously hold him close so he couldn't see the horrible blush.

"Harry?"

The green-eyed brunet gave a grunt in answer, not quite trusting his mouth to speak and ruin whatever fragile fairytale this was.

"As much as I'd love to explain everything and answer any questions you have—I, well, I suppose you'll learn all of my bad habits in short order, so I'd rather warn you of them first. Breakfast is soon and I tend to lose my patience if I do not have something to occupy my fangs. We can talk later, this afternoon, perhaps, get everything sorted out."

The phrasing almost made Harry giggle. As it was, the very thought of giggling brought his nervousness to the front and he ducked his head, not knowing what to say. Breakfast would be anything but fun, this morning. He could practically see the way Hermione, Ron and Ginny would pounce on him and want to know where he'd been, what he'd done and why he didn't tell them anything. The twins were sure to be there and they most certainly would go about overfilling his plate and urging him to eat more than his stomach could handle—not to mention that he'd probably get that serious conversation they'd promised him.

Yes, if he could avoid breakfast he would.

Something warm and soft distracted him and Harry blinked to realize that Theo was kissing him and doing a rather wonderful job of it. His eyelids fluttered shut in pure enjoyment and by the time the kiss had ended, Harry found himself grinning and unable to feel the slightest touch of embarrassment. It felt right. It felt right in every single way that he could think of and that was enough reason to let go of what little doubts he had.

The textbook had told him a little bit about mateship circles—nothing definite, but something. Some clues had instantly filled themselves in and that, coupled with some of Theo's reactions and words, had helped. He knew for certain now, that he was a submissive—after all, it was said that submissives initiated a mateship circle and Theo said he'd answered his heartcry. Harry mused over it for a moment, wondering what that made Theo—his alpha or his beta? He was inclined to think of the taller, older Slytherin as the alpha, simply because of the quiet, commanding air that the other wielded around him, without so much as a blink.

Another kiss drew him out of his thoughts and Harry gave into that one with a happy purr. He could think later. This was far more enjoyable to—the kiss ended and Theo finished with a light peck to one cheek.

"Clothes, Harry." He murmured. "Before I decide to eat you instead of breakfast."

That did the trick.

Harry pushed him away as his face heated up to royal temperatures. Theo didn't protest and backed up the handful of steps, allowing him some space. Harry took that moment to look at the clothes that had been in his hands moments before and were now in a folded pile beside his feet. He bent down to scoop them up, consciously aware of the eyes studying him. He studiously ignored them, settling for taking a quick look around his present surroundings, something, he reminded himself, that he should've done earlier.

Of course, he hadn't really been awake or standing up straight to take in much of the room and now that he did so, he could see that there were three beds, instead of four in a typical Gryffindor dorm and there was plenty of space all around with extra privacy curtains for the occupants to draw around their corners of the room. Harry turned back to see Theo waving his wand at the bed. The sight made him pause. He didn't have the pureblood pegged as someone who would care about making his bed. Knowing Draco, Harry had surmised that purebloods simply relied on house elves to do such things.

Theo looked up, catching his eye. His face softened into a smile and he straightened. "If I turn around, would it help?" There was a teasing note in his voice.

"Where are the others?"

"Others?" Theo sounded puzzled.

"Turn around!" Harry shot back, hugging the clothes to his chest.

Theo snorted, but his figure was hidden from view by the curtains on the bed.

"The room."

"What-oh. Draco's actually." Theo shrugged. "That's why there's an en suite." He gestured to the bathroom, a slender door half-hidden beside a tall wardrobe. "He was head boy, but after the entire mess with…everything, they gave the title to Blaise. Seeing as the three of us are the only Dragels present among the Slytherins, we share. It keeps Terius and Severus from breathing down our necks."

Harry blinked. That was news to him. "Why?"

"Why what?"

"Why'd they, you know?"

"No. I don't."

"Terius and Snape, why'd they care."

"Snape—as you so eloquently put it—is Severus and he is my—our—head of house. He takes good care of us and we return the favor to him in any way that we can. As for Terius, well, he is mated to Severus and Draco is their sub, so they form a triad in a mated circle. As such, they don't like to have Draco out of sight for longer than it takes to keep up appearances. As Blaise and myself were unclaimed, we offered to keep an eye on him in the interest of keeping the peace and the safety of Hogwarts." Theo rose from the bed. "Finished?"

"Yeah." Harry scrubbed a hand at his head. His hair was hopeless enough without making it worse. "Safety of Hogwarts?"

"Have you done any research on Dragels?"

Harry shrugged. "I tried. There isn't much out there."

"I assume you tried the usual, common ways—Owl Order or Hogwarts library?"

Green eyes narrowed in response.

"I don't mean anything by it." Theo sighed. "Even dark texts wouldn't have had much to share though. I suppose I'll have to share my encyclopedia for free."

"What?"

"You can keep the chocolate frogs. I'll lend it to you today—seeing as we are mated now, you may borrow it whenever you like. I would suggest reading the entries on Dragels—memorizing them, even. Didn't your mentor provide you with anything?"

"What mentor?"

Theo blinked. "Your Dragel mentor—everyone has one."

"Everyone?"

"I've never known someone who didn't."

"Ha." Harry scoffed. "Just another one…"

"Harry?"

"There wasn't anyone." He said, bitterly.

"No one?" Theo asked, sharply.

"No one." Harry squirmed under the intense gaze. "C-can we leave now?" A hand strayed to his stomach, as if to reinforce the hunger factor.

"No charms?" Theo perked a brow. It was beyond him how Harry could skip a simple charm after sleeping through nearly three days. Well, the charms and another important detail.

"Can't. No magic." Harry braced himself.

Nothing happened. Theo wrinkled his nose. Oh. Well that explained it. "How awful." He said, aloud, and slipped his wand from a sleeve holster and tapped it against his leg. "May I?"

Harry shrugged.

A tingling, stiff feeling sprinkled over him. His mouth dropped open in surprise when he felt the lingering taste of mint.

Theo grinned. "Satisfactory for you?" He replaced the wand and checked the clock. "I believe I covered everything, but one particularly pressing matter that doesn't seem to have registered yet."

"What?" Harry stared at him. It took a moment longer. Then he flushed deep red once more. "Just a moment." Harry scrambled to the bathroom and shut the door firmly behind him.

The pureblood laughed after him.