When Trouble Finds Him
Harry stared at the break down of information he had just been fed. His head still pounded from the Occlumency session. He sunk down to the floor, bringing his knees up to his chest. It was just too much. Why couldn’t things be easy or normal for him? Why did he always have to be in the middle of trouble and complicated things? He wanted to be just Harry.
He felt arms wrap around him, scoping him into a warm embrace. “I know this is a lot to take in, pup. We will figure things out one at a time, okay? You aren’t alone. Never again.”
There were two rumbles of agreement that came from close by. Harry’s head poked up to look at the two men that were standing with their features out, wings and all.
Sirius chuckled and set him on his feet, “Look at that pup, you have them preening and vying for your attention.”
Harry’s face couldn’t get any redder than it already was. Especially since his mind kept going back to the conversation that he would have a whole Circle. An entire group of people that were involved with him just as much as each other. A family unit. Something inside of him cried out in longing at the thought. He must have let out a warble because both men crowded next to him in an instant.
“Harry?”“Treasure?”
He wanted to laugh, but the only thing he could do was burst into tears at the information overload, the backlash of emotions, and of course the residual pain from the torture sessions. He could hear the group of people arguing back and forth and wanted it to stop. His hands clasped over his ears and he let out a whimper.
It quieted down and he felt the Healer woman come over.
“Are you overwhelmed dear? Do you need me to cast a spell to help dull things for you?”
Harry nodded his head through the tears, almost collapsing in relief at the sudden lack of emotional upheavel. He sniffled and burrowed deeper into his Rock’s arms. Raspen. His Rock’s name was Raspen. Harry’s breath hitched and he looked up at the man that had come storming into the castle just for him. He came just for Harry. Bill had come for just Harry. They chose him. Harry collapsed fully and it drew the attention of all the others.
“I can’t do much for the mental pain he’s feeling. He will need to have someone specializing in mental landscapes and Mind Healing to aid him. Anything would harm more than help at the moment.”
Surajini gave them a sad smile, trying her best to comfort the newly bonded trio. The Marks were fresh and the hugs exchanged had been quite the sight to see. It was unusual to witness an underage bonding where it was fully complete. That was usually done with consenting adults and time to bond fully. A part of her was thankful that he was underage for the moment. It allowed for a full bond without the stress of trying to do anything more than the boy could handle. She hoped, for their sake, that they would find an Alpha long before he turned sixteen. It would be a nightmare of trying to have the intimacy needed with a traumatized and healing teenager.
“I believe that he is safe to return with us to Nevarah. With the bonds completed and his Seals stable for the moment, we can work with that to get him to safety.”
Raspen sighed in relief. He dropped a kiss on top of Harry’s head. “Treasure, I need to speak with Ebony and make plans to return to Nevarah. I cannot be far away from there for too long. We’ll need to head there sooner rather than later.”
Harry nodded, but squeaked in surprise when Raspen brought him along. “Ebony.”
The beautiful woman turned, smiling at the small group that made their way to her. She gave him a short embrace before turning to look at Harry and Bill. Sirius hovered to the side, giving them space but making sure that Harry had someone in his corner if needed.
“Ebony, I would love to introduce you to my treasure, Harry. Harry, this is Princess Ebony. She is the Crown Princess of Fire.”
Harry did his best to bow but was surprised when he was wrapped up in a strong hug. “Oh, you’re such a sweet one! Raspen, you lucky dog. It is so nice to meet you, Harry.”
She put him down and stepped back a bit. Raspen turned slightly to face Bill. “This is William Weasley, or Bill as he prefers. He is our Advisor. A Cursebreaker for Gringotts.”
Princess Ebony smiled before taking a good look at him, “Do I know you? You seem… familiar?”
Bill winced and rubbed the back of his neck, “You may know my Grandmother, actually. Prewitt.”
Ebony rocked back on her heels in shock, “A Prewitt? Whose your mother?”
Bill cleared his throat and looked down, feeling uncomfortable. Harry felt a bit protective of his Bonded and stepped between them. “You’re being rude.”
Raspen choked as Bill wrapped his arms around Harry, “She isn’t meaning harm, spitfire.”
Ebony chuckled, “Spitfire indeed. You have the temper of a Fire Dragel in you.”
That drew a barking laugh from Sirius, who held up a hand to stall the questions while he got his laughter under control.
“You have no idea. Lily Evans was the most spirited woman I have ever met. She could give the most magnificent rants when on a roll. No one ever crossed her when she was angry. Except James. He knew how to push her buttons.”
Sirius wiped a tear from his eye, one that was from both laughter and sadness. Harry pulled out of Bill’s arms and ran to give his Papa a hug. The man smiled and buried his face in Harry’s hair.
“Evans? Any relation to Jun? I haven’t heard the name Evans in quite some time. Fire Circle, or was until Jun bonded with Briar.”
Sirius frowned, “Not that I am aware, though we wondered where Lily had gotten the Fire Dragel inheritance. We always thought she was muggleborn.”
A frown crossed Ebony’s face before she turned to Bill, “You wouldn’t happen to be one of Molandria’s, would you?”
Bill’s eyebrows rose, “How did you guess?”
“Trust me, I know many of my Court and Prewitts are one of them. With your age, we would have met long ago unless you were one of Molandria’s. She disappeared, and there hasn’t been a word of it since. It will be nice for Sadara and the twins to know you are well and safe.”
“A three-fold suppression would be stretching the well part, but safe I am. Same with my siblings.”
Ebony gasped in horror, one hand coming up to cover her mouth, “Molandria did a three-fold suppression? On children? How could she?”
“Our father is Torvak, but the Fire Dragel gene runs strong through our family, apparently.”
There were hisses at the mention of Torvak, drawing a frown from Bill and Sirius. Raspen sighed and pinched the bridge of his nose, “We’ll come back to this later. That is not the sort of news we are able to handle at the moment. I would suggest that you take every sibling that you can and return to Nevarah if you are able. Ask for Sanctuary for them. A three-fold suppression should come off as soon as possible.”
Bill frowned, “I’ll talk to Charlie and see what we can do. Percy chose to be Torvak, which isn’t a surprise. The twins have already been through theirs and not a surprise they are Fire Dragels. I don’t know about Ron or Ginny.”
“That makes sense, Fred and George have been more handsy with giving me hugs and feeding me.”
Bill chuckled, “They’re Pareya. That would make sense.”
“That will make Gideon and Fabian happy to know there is another set of twins in the family.”
The look on Bill’s face changed from happy to distressed in an instant. Harry immediately knew something was wrong and gave a warbled cry in alarm. He ran into Bill’s arms, shifting his claws and wings out. He gave a hiss at anyone who tried to come close as Bill collapsed.
“They’re… alive? Uncle Gideon and Fabian are alive?”
Ebony, sensing the tension, nodded. “I saw them not a week ago. They were healthy if causing mischief per usual.”
“Mum said they died in the war,” Bill whispered.
Following that revelation, there was silence. It remained that way until Bill collected himself and stood up, bringing Harry in for a hug and a kiss on the head in thanks.
Raspen winced and they could see Ebony doing the same. “We need to leave, soon. Nevarah is calling us back.”
Harry worried his bottom lip before nodding to himself, “Dobby.”
The small elf popped in before squeaking at the sight of so many Dragels, especially ones that had drawn weapons at his arrival.
“Master Harry Potter calls for Dobby?”
Harry gave an exasperate sigh, “It’s just Harry, Dobby. How many times do we keep having to talk about this?”
There was a mischievous grin on Dobby’s face, “Many times, Master Just Harry Potter. Hows can Dobby helps you?”
“Would you be willing to grab my Trunk and anything that is mine to bring here?”
“Of course, Master Just Harry Potter. Dobby will grabs that and comes right back.”
There was a pop as the elf left and harry found him the center of attention for the whole room.
“Master Just Harry Potter? What have you gotten yourself into?” Sirius laughed.
Harry pouted, “It’s not my fault! He’s been like that since second year when I freed him from the Malfoys!”
Raspen’s eyebrows rose at that, “You will have to tell me this very fascinating information later. For now, you need to let him know that you are being moved to Nevarah. They have different rules and laws. Elf servitude is something that goes against them.”
Harry frowned, “But Dobby is free. He’s not bound to me.”
Dobby popped in with his things at that moment, but there was a look on his small face that had Harry wondering just how much he heard. Dobby’s ears flapped in embarrassment.
“Dobbys only partially free, Harry Potter sir. He couldn’t live without bonds. So Dobby bonds with Master Harry Potters sirs when he returned to Hoggywarts.”
Harry frowned and took Dobby’s hand into his, “But Dobby, it’s always been your dream to be freed? Your my friend, there is no reason for you to bond to me.”
Dobby’s ears flapped again, “But Dobbys can’t live without bonds or hes dies.”
“Dies?” Many voices cried out from areas of the room.
Sirius was the one to step up, “That’s something that may have changed since you have last been here. The bond between House Elf and Brownies has changed the last couple hundred years. They have become warped and now are what you see. The bond of servitude that was between a Brownie and their Family, was changed to that of a House Elf to Family. Their race can no longer live without the bond or they become crazy or die.”
“How horrible,” Ebony spat. She looked furious and was clenching her fists. “To taint such a pure and loving bond.”
“But… Dobby is my friend and I care for him? Why does he have to bond to me?” Harry asked his godfather.
“There is no knowledge of what the Brownie and Family bonds were. That knowledge was erased when the House Elf bonds were warped. I’ve checked through Grimmauld. The Family Library is old. Nothing but the House Elf bonds are mentioned.”
“But.. Dobby will die? I don’t want him to die!? I don’t want to break the law!” Harry’s eyes filled with tears as he scooped the House Elf into his arms. “He has been my loyal friend for years. I can’t leave him behind.”
Dobby began to ugly cry at his words, a wrecked wailing sound that made the adults wince at the noise. The show of emotions set off Harry, and now he was crying and clutching Dobby just as hard.
Raspen and Ebony glanced at each other, unsure of how to handle the situation. Jas stepped forward, placing a hand on his shoulder.
“My Prince? May I make a suggestion?”
Raspen waved a hand, “Might as well because I’m at a loss.”
“Why not bring him along and have him checked out alongside Harry with the Healers? Make sure that they can see things are as they should be. You can contact some of your Elven subjects to ask if they have any knowledge that could aid you. I beleive that your Blood Title, Ilsa Gorgens Deveraine? She’s bonded to the Deveraine twins? They have connections. Although I would ask for Bahn and not his sister.”
There seemed to be a pause of bated breath, both Dobby and Harry watching them intently.
“I think that would be acceptable. This is a unique situation. I’d rather have him join us and be part of the process.”
Raspen almost toppled over at two small bodies slamming into his legs. Harry was on one side, crying happy tears. Dobby was on the other, blubbering and wailing his thanks. Raspen shot a look at Bill, asking for help. The redhead crossed his arms over his chest and leaned against a desk, giving him a look that told him there was not help coming. Raspen awkwardly pat their heads as the entire room broke into frantic movements. With that decided, it was time to port back to Nevarah.
“I will stay behind. I need to get my things together, settle accounts with Gringotts and let the goblins know I will need a transfer to the Nevarah branch. And maybe deal with having been pulled away from a Tribunal.” Bill grimaced and rubbed the back of his neck. Raspen sighed.
“It’s all of you, isn’t it? I’m never going to know peace, will I?”
Sirius scoffed, “Not with Harry being your Submissive. Good luck there; you will need it with his penchant for finding trouble.”
“Hey! Trouble finds me!” Harry crossed his arms, trying to give his godfather a glare. “You’re being mean, Papa. Don’t make me tell Moony that you’ve been bad.”
Sirius chased the boy around the room, shifting into his Padfoot form to have a better chance at catching him. There was barking and laughter. It lifted the room up, and there were more smiles than there had been when they had first arrived. It was chaotic, but it seemed like it would be good for their Prince.