Chapter 6
Harry stares at the people around him, a little bit overwhelmed. Luna had left for the night, giving Harry a calm and meaningful look. Hopefully, that meant that he wouldn’t be killed or attacked in his own home because Luna would always do anything to protect Harry. She’d kill people for him, and he would do the same for her. It was just the relationship they had. The six of them were family, a family born from blood, pain, and being abandoned by the adults around them.
“Do you all intend to stay?” Harry asks, a bit wary. It was a rude thing to ask, but Harry wasn’t prepared to have three whole strangers sleeping in his house, especially not people who were used to living in Malfoy Manor. The Potter manor only had a couple of rooms set up, and Harry wasn’t used to entertaining guests. Hell, no one other than his friends had ever even been in here.
Felidor gazes at his heart silently, feeling the utter panic from Lucius and Newt. The bonds he shared with the rest of his mates were going haywire even after he’d sent a mental message to Auriel, informing his second of what was going on- roughly at least. The link between them had been open for a couple minutes. It was long enough for Felidor to explain the circumstances behind their heart to his soulmate. He couldn’t go into depth, but his Beta was competent. He would be able to piece all the information he needed together. There had been no mention of their heart’s actual name yet to anyone outside the three.
And Felidor wanted to keep it like that until Harry was comfortable with meeting his other dominant mates.
“Do you want us to leave?” Felidor questions his heart, who was sitting beside him, so close his entire side was plastered onto his own.
It wasn’t strange. Submissives usually attached themselves rather quickly to their dominant mates; the fact that Harry hadn’t done the same to Lucius and even to Newt at first was indicative of just how scared his heart had been of them.
It made Felidor want to bite someone.
Harry inhales sharply, his grip on Felidor growing a bit tighter, emerald eyes widening with a bit of horror and a lot of uncertainty. Felidor feels warmth in his chest at the sight of his submissive, clearly unable to pull away from him. He draws Harry closer, deciding to lift his submissive up and place him on his lap. The poor sub was grinding his teeth, his own personality warring with the instincts that Harry seemed to have come into overnight.
Instinctively, Harry buries his face into the crook of Felidor’s neck, thighs and arms tightening around Felidor, a small sigh escaping the small submissive. Felidor croons, low and soothing, arms wounding around Harry tightly- an instinctive thing given his rank.
Felidor could tell Harry's inheritance was new. And given how strong Harry was fighting his new instincts, he could tell his submissive was going to be a feisty one. The thought made the dragon-part of him want to preen in pride.
“Hmmm, how about Lucius and Newt head home for the night. I can stay if you so desire, dear one.” Felidor offers gently, ignoring the defeated and horrified looks that Newt and Lucius were sending him.
Their creature sides seemed to refuse to leave their heart alone. Their whole beings repelled the idea.
Felidor gives them stern looks, flashing glowing violet eyes, and causing his two dominants to droop in defeated silence.
“Whatever makes you feel comfortable Harry,” Lucius manages to croak out. Newt had inched forward, dropping into the seat beside Felidor and grabbing Harry’s sleeve lightly. He looked heartbroken at the thought of leaving.
Felidor hated doing this to his bonded, but Harry would always come first. And their heart was not comfortable around so many people yet.
Their heart’s hands clutched onto Felidor’s shirt with an intensity that made his heart break slightly. It seemed Newt and Lucius were slowly understanding how overwhelmed Harry seemed to be, and the two of them shared a glance, communicating silently.
Submissives always latched onto their dominants when they met them, and it was very rare that they didn’t feel safe enough to do so, like in Harry’s case.
And as Felidor was a complete stranger and Harry’s top dominant, Harry was much more inclined to latch onto him as a result.
Felidor places a sturdy hand on the back of Harry’s neck, releasing his pheromones and allowing his scent to cover Harry entirety. Slowly but surely, the terse muscles in Harry’s body soothe, relaxing with every passing second.
They grow silent when Harry’s breathing starts to slowly even out, and Felidor looks up, speaking quietly. He refused to rouse Harry from his meditative state and waves a hand to cover his beloved bundle to cast a silencing charm.
“You will head back to the house and explain things only our non-earthen bonded. Auriel is to know first and then Thrandiul. Our youngest mates shall not know until I give the okay,” He orders them and doesn’t look away until his two mates nod, showing him their necks respectively as a sign of their submission.
“Understood,” Newt croaks and Felidor’s gaze softens.
“Darling it will be alright. Harry just needs some time,” Felidor tells him, noticing the twitching fingers and his rapidly moving glances. Newt was such an empath that it honestly amazed Felidor sometimes.
“But- but he is in distress,” Newt lets out his own distressed whine, and Lucius grabs their mate from behind his neck, offering some semblance of support and comfort.
“Fel has him, love,” Lucius murmurs gently, his own silver eyes bleeding as he takes in his alpha and submissive. He hadn’t dared touch Harry again without permission; the first instances drilled into his head, causing him to wince every time he remembered.
“I do. You trust your alpha mate don’t you, Newt?” Felidor asks, tone dominating. Newt bites his lips, his gaze flickering between Lucius, Harry, and Felidor over and over again.
Newt shuffles over to his alpha, and Felidor reaches out an empty hand to grab his bonded’s offered one.
“He won’t reject us?” Newt asks, voice tiny and wounded.
Felidor’s heart breaks, both for his submissive and for his fellow dominants, who were all so terrified of being rejected.
“No. I don’t think so, love. Harry just needs some time, which we will give him.” Felidor gives a pointed look, and his mates both nod.
“We will tell Auriel,” Lucius murmurs, coming a bit closer to gaze at his heart as well, silver orbs softening immensely.
“Good. I shall discuss things over with Harry and proceed to inform everyone,” Felidor orders again. Then Lucius was gently pulling Newt away, and the two of them exited the manor.
Felidor could sense the moment his mates were away from the manor and then proceeded to add as many layers to the wards as he could following their departure.
Felidor sinks down onto the couch, gaze training instantly on his beloved heart.
He’d waited for years, and suddenly, it felt like he hadn’t waited long enough and didn’t deserve this precious bundle in his arms. His Harry. His heart.
Felidor felt as if his entire chest would explode from happiness. He would wait hundreds of years all over again if it meant Harry would be his.
Slowly and surely, the little one was matching his breaths with Felidor’s, sinking into the soothing scent of his top dominant. It would be a very safe and soothing feeling, as he’d been taught. Felidor had spent years imagining the moment he met his submissive over and over again in his mind, replaying different instances in order for him to be absolutely ready for his heart.
Felidor had taken all the courses he could in his world and the many worlds he visited. He knew multiple of his bonded were the same and they were all prepared to care for and love a submissive. Thranduil specifically, had waited the most out of all of them. They would treasure, love, and spoil this stunning creature with every ounce of their being- just as he would.
Submissives were gifts from Lady Magic, and they were considered the most important in a mating legion. Finding one’s submissive was a blessed event, and beings everywhere searched for their own with a ferocity unknown to mortals.
It must’ve been a couple hours of Felidor and Harry simply sitting in one other’s presence. To Felidor, this was what true calm and happiness felt like, and to Harry, he’d never felt so safe.
Felidor finally feels Harry begin to move, bleary, beautiful green eyes peeking up at him.
He had to refrain from laughing in delight at the lovely blush that covered the entirety of his submissive’s face.
“I’ve never felt so relaxed before,” Harry’s nose crinkles in disbelief, eyeing Felidor in awe. Felidor smiles gently, his eyes shining in pride and delight.
“I’m so glad to hear that. Your comfort and safety means everything to me,” He replies, a hand gently carding through the locks of hair on Harry’s head. His stunning violet gaze never once strayed from the green of Harry’s.
“Why though?” Harry questions, brows burrowed in disbelief and confusion.
Felidor smiles gently at Harry, endless patience in his eyes.
“Because you are my soul. I have waited for you for three centuries. There is no one more important to me than you are,” His voice was smooth and sure, and the fact that he used the present term while describing how important he was to Felidor already meant a lot to Harry.
“Oh,” Harry murmurs, looking down in his lap and fiddling a bit with his fingers.
There was no awkwardness or embarrassment at all considering the positions they were in; there couldn’t be…not when Harry felt as if he’d connected to Felidor in the most intimate of manners.
Felidor hums a little before raising Harry’s face up, hands cradling his face gently. The man’s single hand was the size of Harry’s whole head and he seriously wondered what his mates all ate to be this gigantic.
“I will give you all the books and knowledge you need to feel confident in this and us, Harry, alright?” Felidor informs his submissive, who relaxes instantly, a shy smile lighting up his face.
“Thanks Felidor,”
“Anything,” He replies, making Harry blush even more.
“Uh- do you want something to eat?” Harry asks tentatively, worried that his dominant was hungry. Felidor gazes at Harry for a second, eyes tracking Harry’s way too skinny body and the bones he could feel as he held his submissive.
“Let’s have dinner,” Felidor grins and gets up, easily lifting Harry up into his arms.
His heart lets out a startled squeak, arms looping around Felidor’s shoulders.
“Wait! I can walk!” Harry squeaks between waves of startled laughter. Felidor’s eyes were the warmest shades of purple, mimicking a sunset, and he moved towards the kitchen only to have Winky pop up beside him.
“Master Harry Potter sir,” Winky smiles up at Harry, not even blinking over the fact that Harry was in another person’s arms.
“Hi Winky. Could you make dinner for Felidor please?” Harry smiles at her gently and Winky lights up, excitement on her features. She didn’t usually get a chance to make dinner unless her Harry Potter’s family was here.
“Yes! Right away! Master Harry Potter’s Felidor sir, will be having dinner right away.” Winky states calmly. Harry had been staring at Felidor, waiting for him to put him down, but then Winky’s words registered.
“Wait, Winky, don’t call him that-” But she had popped away, leaving Harry baffled and highly embarrassed.
“Of course she can,” Felidor instantly replies, “I’m yours,” He retorts, giving Harry a smile that makes Harry’s stomach start to do flip flops. Honestly, why were his soulmates so attractive? How did he even deserve to have a bonded like Felidor?
He was honestly trying not to gape in surprise at what was going on right now.
Harry was frankly so stunned. But something in his chest was loosening, a more relaxed, happy smile drawn on his features.
“ Oh ,” Harry breathes, speaking more to himself before he looks up at his dominant mate, “I’m yours too,” Harry manages to get out, and Felidor stares at Harry like he was the only star in his sky. It was a calm expression, a certain one, that made Harry feel more loved in that single second than he ever had in his whole life.
“Winky has brought food,” Winky announces, with plates of food covering the entirety of the table.
Harry sighs, a resigned smile on his face because Winky seemed to be so excited about having a new guest over.
“Thank you, Winky,” Harry ends up saying, “Make sure you hand out any leftovers to our friends, family and anyone who needs it,” Harry murmurs to her when Felidor had placed him down and was moving to sit in the seat across from him.
Felidor looks between the two, smiling a little. He’d never seen an earthling wixen treat a house elf as kindly as Harry was treating Winky. It was a bit eye-opening into the personality of his submissive. He could tell from the first meeting that there was no truth at all to the things that had been spewed by Severus Snape and his Draco.
It actually enraged him when he thought about it too hard.
He could already tell that his submissive couldn’t be farther from what he had been told from his bonded and bonded’s godfather.
It set a nasty tone in his stomach. He’d need to examine all of this further.
Felidor made haste to place as many fruits and vegetables on his heart’s plate as possible before allowing himself to put some food on his own plate.
Harry stared at him wide-eyed for a second before simply opting to swallow back the warm feeling in his chest and start to slowly eat the food.
“Thanks,” Harry murmurs, opting to watch Felidor smile and eat, finding his mate more interesting than anything that was on his plate. Felidor seemed to like the steak and mashed potatoes that Winky had made for them, and Harry could feel himself unwind more and more.
“Who are the rest of our soulmates?” Harry asks suddenly, a bit of a cringe on his face as if expecting Felidor to get angry at his question.
Felidor looks up, chewing slowly with warm eyes. “Hm, well, we have quite a couple, love,” Felidor teases, and Harry swallows heavily at the pet name, his heart stuttering. “I can definitely go down the line. Though they’ll probably prefer to have you meet them individually and they can tell you anything you want to know,”
Felidor stares a bit, discreetly taking in the way Harry’s whole attention was on him, and his demeanor softens even more.
He holds up his fork, some of the salad on the utensil, and begins to speak, distracting Harry with his words on their mates, before discreetly trying to feed him.
“Well your second dominant and Beta is Auriel Solaris. He’s very playful, aloof, strong. Everyone adores him. In any other mate-ship most of your mates could have been top dominants themselves,” Felidor explains, smoothly allowing his fork to hover over Harry’s lips, who opens his mouth without complaint, almost unthinkingly. It made his lips twitch in amusement.
“You only have seven mates that you probably know, seeing as they are all from here on Earth.” Felidor continues, opting to eat every other bite so as to not alert Harry that he was feeding him.
Harry was twining with his hands, looking nervous, “So they already have preconceived options on me.” Harry states, leaning back to think more about it.
“I will never lie to you Harry. Most of our soulmates aren’t from Earth, and they don’t take rumours into account. Any opinions they have will be based on what they see and perceive themselves.” Felidor tells him, eyes honest and genuine. “The younger bonded I have might have some opinions on you-”
Harry’s face shutters a bit, and Felidor could see anxiety in that emerald gaze and a hint of pain.
“-but I will deal with them. I am your top dominant Harry, your alpha. You are my priority always. The mate-ship will get along because I won’t allow otherwise,” Felidor responds instantly to the look in his heart’s eyes.
“I don’t want them to be forced to like me though. If they don’t want me, then that’s okay,” Harry’s shoulders hunched in on themselves slightly, and Felidor wanted to kill anyone who caused his heart to feel so unwanted and unloved.
“Harry, they will all adore you. You are gift from Lady Magic to us. You are treasured,” Felidor emphasizes, hands reaching out to grip Harry’s own.
Harry didn’t really believe him but liked the way his hand felt in Felidor’s, so he lets out a small shaky smile.
“Okay?” Felidor asks, stern yet gentle, and Harry nods silently.
“I need your words love,”
Harry goes a bright red but smiles even more. “Okay, Felidor,” He says, and Felidor beams, his smile bright, as he leans back a bit, refusing to let go of one of Harry’s hands. Harry found that he didn’t mind at all and honestly preferred it. It seemed his submissive instincts were rearing up with his dominant mates so close.
It would be difficult for him to remain without his mates for a while, especially Felidor since it felt to Harry that their bond was one of the strongest.
He felt comfortable with Newt, especially after his mate had comforted him so obviously. His creature side had purred at the obvious care Newt had shown him, and in his heart, it had warmed him to see the apparent consideration. But his brain kept warning him that this man was the long-term mate of Lucius Malfoy, a man who lived with Draco Malfoy. Harry honestly felt like he was being put in the most awkward place, and maybe his other mates would help him navigate this utter maze of a legion.
“You can call me Fel, Harry,” Felidor tells him, to Harry’s delight, and then he continues talking about their mates. “Your third dominant is Thranduil Oropherion.”
Harry mouthed the name a bit to himself, making Felidor snort in amusement. “Longer names are sometimes associated with other cultures,” Felidor explains to his submissive, who leans forward in interest. It seemed his little love was very intellectually inclined, as well as magically powerful. He could sense the waves of power hidden in his submissive and he was curious just how much magic would be revealed when he relaxed enough to allow his magic out.
“He’s a blonde, beautiful dumbass who is overly honest and so analytical sometimes that it’s just adorable. He’s your Gamma,” Felidor says, “He’s the one who has waited the longest for you,” Felidor murmurs, hesitancy in his eyes. “Thranduil would do anything for you, Harry. Even now, I can feel just how nervous and elated he is at the fact that we found you,” Felidor didn’t mention how many layers of anxiety and dread those emotions were under.
His mates were all terrified Harry wasn’t going to want them.
“How long has he waited exactly?” Harry was a bit confused but then proceeded to gape at the number Felidor said.
“Seven centuries,”
Harry felt stunned, his entire body tensing and untensing over and over again in his shock.
“Seven centuries?” Harry breathes, “I- I’m only fifteen,” He squeaks and Felidor nods.
“Yes and we will love you and care for you at your own pace. You are underage and we will respect that of course. Our souls chose you and you will be treated with the utmost consideration, love and care. Thranduil understands that just as much as the rest of our mates do,” He says, mentioning his other mates who were older as well.
Harry didn’t seem to get over his panic at Felidor’s words but started to wound up more and more. “Who is next?” He asks, seeming almost dreading Felidor’s next words.
Felidor hums a little, “Are you sure you want to know? You can meet everyone at your own pace and time. No one will force you into anything,”
Harry pauses a little but shakes his head, a hesitant smile on his face, “No. I’d like to know who my mates are,” Harry nods, making Felidor murmur in agreement.
“Alright then, after our Thranduil, your fourth dom is Kosul Oceaa,”
Harry’s memory instantly snaps back to the man he’d run into outside of Gringotts.
“Are-” Harry stops a bit, cautious, and Felidor nods encouragingly, smiling and trying to ease Harry’s nerves. “Are Antonin Dolohov and Bill Weasley your mates too?” Harry asks, making Felidor perk up a little, nodding.
“Yes they are. They’re our mates,” Felidor emphasizes the our portion, squeezing Harry’s hand a little. “How did you know?”
“I had a meeting with the Gringotts goblins one day and they were there.” Harry says, leaving it to be as vague as possible. He didn’t really want him to know what creature Harry was, exactly when he’d inherited or even when he’d seen Antonin and Bill.
Felidor would find out. But Harry hoped it was later rather than sooner, especially if it allowed Harry to get used to his mates more.
Felidor stares at Harry for a second. There were multiple times when Anonin, as a solicitor and Bill, as a certified curse-breaker worked together in the bank. And Kosul usually came to the bank to either work alongside them, ensure they were alright, or feed them. So Harry could’ve met them at any time.
“Well, at least you know some of your older soulmates as well,” Felidor teases a little after seeing the hesitance on Harry’s face.
“I didn’t realize,” Harry admits, “But they looked happy with one another. And they were respectful at least,” He grumbles the last part as if Harry wasn’t used to people respecting him usually.
“We have our ups and downs as any mateship will, but yes, we are all happy with one another, even with the newest and youngest mates we have found,” Felidor tells him, and it makes Harry warm a little to know his mates were all happy with one another. “Well Kosul is your fourth dom. He’s the most honest and well-intended man I’ve ever met,” Felidor admits, beginning to soothe his submissive by massaging the hand he was holding.
“Then your fifth dominant is Antonin. He and Lucius both aren’t Death Eaters, you know that right Harry?” He asks, and Harry gives an uncertain little nod that has Felidor instantly explaining more. “They were hired by the Unspeakables and Gringotts. Lucius, himself, is an Unspeakable. I can tell you this because you’re our heart and submissive.” Felidor continues.
“I- I get that, Fel,” Harry says, “I’ll just need a vow from both of them,” He states calmly because after years of his safety being destroyed, he wouldn’t compromise on his own safety- and the safety of his family.
Felidor blinks a bit in shock for a second, and Harry thinks his stomach falls, his whole body feeling like he’d been doused in cold water until his dominant’s face softens exponentially.
“Anything you need love. Anything Harry, you hear me. We will do anything to help you feel safe,”
“Are you done with dinner?” Felidor asks, a bit worried that the only food Harry had eaten had been the few bites Felidor had managed to feed him inconspicuously.
“I had a big dinner at the restaurant,” Harry instantly tells him. Felidor decides not to comment on his words and gets up to get closer to his heart.
He makes to stand beside him, having those big green eyes staring up at him in surprise and confusion. Felidor leans down and scoops his submissive into his arms.
“Where do you sleep, my heart?” He asks, and Harry’s face goes a bright red.
“Uh, Up- Upstairs,” He winces, arms winding around Felidor and his face planting in the crook of Felidor’s neck. Gentle, soothing hands run up and down his back, and Harry listens to him silently as he goes through the rest of the soulmates Harry would eventually be introduced to.
“Lucius is your sixth dominant and our Erym is your seventh. That’s not his full name, but he despises it and would get annoyed if I told you it before he could. He’s a tiny little thing, but very much a troublemaker and prankster at heart. He’s also our legion healer.” Harry found himself burrowing deeper into his mate’s arms, content to listen about his mates.
There was an air of obvious fondness when Felidor talked about his mates. Harry couldn’t really imagine all those people as his yet, he couldn’t. Didn’t think he wanted to. His creature side was furious at the thought of Newt not being theirs, and something twinged a little in his heart at the fact that Harry thought the man belonged more to his mates than he did to Harry himself. Nevertheless, that all of Newt’s mates (Lucius Malfoy) were all of Harry’s.
Harry just didn’t think he’d be able to handle his soulmates choosing someone else over him.
They make it upstairs and Harry guides Felidor to the guest room he’d slept in yesterday. “Is this the room?” Felidor asks, and Harry nods as he is set gently on his feet. It felt weird being carried everywhere but it seemed like Felidor showed his care through actions more so than words, hence why he liked carrying Harry everywhere. Also, it seemed like Felidor’s creature side was loving how close Harry would become when Felidor carried him.
“The main bedroom needs some repairs,” Harry’s nose wrinkles, “It got destroyed during my inheritance. I haven’t had the time to fix it up,” Harry admits with a cringe, and Felidor hums.
“I am pretty sure I’ll be able to repair any damage, may I?” Felidor asks Harry, who shrugs and nods.
“I don’t mind, you’d help a lot if you could,” He admits. He’d already gone through the tedious process of erasing his magical signature in the room, seeing how as anyone who had entered the room -quote Hermione, Neville, Luna, Ginny, and Ron- could tell a powerful creature inheritance had occurred there.
Harry refused to take any chances with his safety- not anymore.
Harry and Felidor walk towards the main room- it wasn’t the Lord's suite, seeing as Harry thought it much too big- but it was an heir suite, which he believed to be a decent enough size that his claustrophobia wouldn’t kick in.
“The damage isn’t that bad, love,” Felidor points out, “It will take a bit but I can fix it,” Harry sags a little in relief.
“Oh that’s great,” He says, moving to grip onto the hem of Felidor’s sleeve. His creature side was screeching at him to be closer to his dominant, and he felt a bit nauseous being too far away from him. Harry wondered if that was normal or if it was just a Harry Potter thing.
Felidor stares at his heart for a second before just leaning down and heaving his submissive back up and into his arms. “Feeling nauseous?” He asks, and his heart warms a bit when his submissive burrows into his arms again, face in his neck.
“Mmhm,” Harry hums, feeling the pressure on his chest ease the closer he snuggled to his mate.
“It’s a normal thing with submissives, and their mates love. You won’t feel balanced until all of your active soulmates have bonds with you,” Felidor explains gently.
“So I’m being basically forced by my physiology? What if I had a mate who didn’t want me, or I didn’t want him?” Harry grumbles.
“Then you would reject them and that is that. No one will force you to do anything. You have a choice in the matter, Harry."
“But they don’t. And if I reject them, doesn’t that mean they could die?” Harry choked out in disbelief at how unfair it was.
Felidor grows silent for a second, “Our souls chose each other. I think I trust in that. I trust in the fact that my soul waited for hundreds of years before finally deciding that you were the one for me, my heart, my submissive. In all the universe, there will be no one for me like you. Magic bonded us, Harry and any dominant worth their salt will respect that,”
“What if they don’t though?” Harry’s voice was small, and it pulled at Felidor’s heart.
“I believe in that case, they’d ask their heart for a rejection themselves. There is a higher chance that they survive the rejection if they ask for it themselves, along with their submissive’s assistance in the matter,” He explains to his submissive, making note to give him immediate access to his personal library. It would help give his heart a deeper look at the intricacies of a submissive and dominant relationship. Maybe then Harry would finally realize how many dominants were sooner to slit their own throat than actually reject the heart they’d been gifted.
Harry stayed silent after Felidor’s explanation, but his grip on his dominant seemed to grow just a little tighter.
Felidor didn’t add anything after, just opting to simply allow his submissive to marinate a bit in his thoughts.
However, Felidor did get to work on actually fixing his submissive’s room. There were remnants of heavy inheritance magicks in the room, which seemed to have been wiped away.
It seemed his submissive wasn’t just insistently adorable; it appeared his Harry was more magically powerful than he first thought.
It didn’t take long before the room looked just as Felidor might have imagined it before Harry’s inheritance had occurred.
Then he was moving and falling into the overly comfortable bed, gently placing his heart beside him.
“We have-” Felidor counts in his head, “Five more mates to talk about I believe,” He muses, and it was the last three he was the most wary about. He was cautious about what Harry’s reaction would be to finding out who his last three dominants would be.
“Newt is your eighth dominant and William is your ninth,” Felidor lists out the two that Harry already knew about. Harry lets out a confused noise, which causes him to chuckle.
“You wouldn’t expect it just looking at him, but our Newt is a fighter.” Felidor admits. “All of your dominants work hard and sometime in the future, our legion will be a very powerful one.” Felidor admits, hands carding through the messy locks on Harry’s head. He pauses before mentioning the last of their soulmates.
“You’re pausing,” Harry points out, his voice a bit muffled from clinging into Felidor’s side. His heart seemed a bit embarrassed about how clingy he was being, so Felidor took it upon himself to cling just as much.
He could spend years gazing into those emerald eyes and never want to look away.
“I am, yes,” Felidor admits, taking to burying his head in the mop of brown-black hair on Harry’s head. His heart smelled fresh like soap, and sweet- akin to marshmallows if Felidor had to put a name to it.
“Are they people I might not like?” Harry asks quietly, hitting the nail on the head. His heart seemed to be quite intuitive.
And Harry was getting nervous; Felidor could tell.
“You must promise not to overthink and if you have any qualms regarding anything, know that I will take care of everything,”
Harry sits up, staring at him with fear and anxiety, “Who are they?” He says, dread being poured into his body at a steady state.
“Your tenth dominant is Blaise Zabini,” Felidor starts off, and Harry sits back on his heels, eyes staring up at Felidor in disbelief.
“Zabini?” Harry repeats, his eyes looking like there were a thousand thoughts behind them. Blaise Zabini was a very attractive Slytherin in his year. He was always seen flirting with his boyfriend, Theodore Nott. He was reclusive otherwise and tended to keep to himself. Harry was realizing that there were a lot of creatures out there in the world. Even among his own friend group, all of them had a creature inheritance.
“I know you two are in the same year at Hogwarts correct?” Felidor states, sitting up as well.
Harry nods at him, still eyeing him warily, “That means Theordore Nott is also one of your mates too,” He quickly deduces. Zabini and Nott had been attached at the hip in Hogwarts. You couldn’t see one of them without the other.
“Yes,” Felidor replies, “He’s your eleventh,” Felidor eyes him carefully, “Do you know them very well?”
“No,” Harry shakes his head, “I don’t think they like me much though. They hang around people who are known to hate me,” Harry admits, and Felidor’s gaze sharpens a bit at his words.
“You won’t have to meet them until you feel ready, if ever, Harry,”
“They don’t like me, Felidor.” Harry admits with a wince.
Theodore and Blaise, especially, had been known not to be the fondest of Harry. Even when they had been partnered together for projects in class, they acted like they wanted to be anywhere but there with him.
The thought of two of his soulmates hating him made the back of his throat burn. He was honestly feeling overwhelmed, and this whole thing wasn’t helping.
Harry felt like this was building up to something, and deep in his gut he already had a feeling as to who his last soulmate was. It still didn’t stop the way his heart actually dropped when Felidor told him who their last mate was.
“Your last dominant is Draco,”
Harry kind of felt like his axis had shifted, and his whole existence blurred.
He started to blink furiously, trying to erase the existence of his tears.
“What?” He breathes, and almost ends up falling off the bed from his panic.
“Harry! Wait-” Felidor moved so quickly that he was a blur and stood behind him, hands wrapped around him, stopping his fall.
Draco… Draco was his last dominant. Draco Malfoy.
The person who Harry would equate to a majority of his misery if he wasn’t counting Dumbledore and Voldemort in the equation.
An utter bully of the highest regard. An egotistical little boy who was spoiled beyond measure and took his insecurities out on others.
Even after learning of his official place in the wizarding world, and realizing he’d unintentionally almost caused a blood feud between the Malfoys and the Potters, Harry had apologized from one heir to another.
It had worked only for the political aspect of it. Draco Malfoy had ignored his apology but later in the week, Lucius Malfoy had sent a letter stating that the Malfoys had no quarrel with the Potters.
It hadn’t stopped Draco’s bullying or torment of Harry, though. And Harry had never been one to complain, especially when he honestly couldn’t care less for Draco’s antics- regardless of the pain those comments had caused, and Harry was just realizing why now, seeing as Draco was his bloody soulmate. He’d had much more important things to deal with; horcrux hunting, for example, ritual classes, unique and obscure magicks to learn, being possessed by a madman, and even Umbridge who had been torturing him and his friends continuously throughout the year.
Just because his scars were hidden by his magic didn’t mean that they weren’t still there. It didn’t mean that they didn’t burn in the dead of night and keep him up with nightmares of how exactly he’d gotten said scars.
“He-he hates me,” Harry croaks, tears whelming in his eyes and burrowing his head in his hands, ignoring Felidor, who had a crushed expression on his face.
“Oh, my heart,” Felidor lets out a croon, engulfing his submissive in his arms. It absolutely breaks him when Harry lets out a quiet sob, muffling his cries as much as he could. “Everything will be fine. I will make sure no one ever hurts you. I promise you. You’re my heart and soul,” The dominant mumbles, holding Harry close and allowing the tiny submissive to clutch onto Felidor’s shirt tightly, his head sinking into the crook of Felidor’s neck.
It seemed Harry was simply overwhelmed with the events of the day. And so Felidor took to soothing his submissive, loving words coming from his mouth, planting gentle kisses on the crown of Harry’s head and scenting his heart as much as possible.
Felidor just wanted to offer as much comfort as possible, seeing as his own throat was closing up in sorrow at seeing his heart in such distress.
Harry’s crying was quiet and painful like he didn’t know if it was safe enough for him to actually cry.
And Felidor just wanted to kill anyone who would ever make his Harry this sad.
But he couldn’t kill Draco. And Felidor believes that that was the whole issue here.
It took a while for Harry to calm and even then, he still gave the occasional heartbreaking sniffle with red-rimmed green eyes.
Felidor refused to let go of his heart for even a second.
“I’m okay now, Fel,” Harry’s voice was quiet, but his eyes betrayed a hint of amusement.
“You are not,” Felidor hushes, hand carding through Harry’s hair. “And that is perfectly fine my love. But you have no need to worry. Although Blaise, Theo and Draco are fairly new additions to our legion, they’ve been waiting for a submissive of their own almost as desperately as we have. I assure you that once the shock subsides, things will settle down.”
Harry gazes at him silently. Harry had a look of obvious doubt in his eyes, and Felidor takes it upon himself to prove to his heart that he would do anything for Harry.
“There are rumors, you know,” Harry says quietly, his grip on Felidor’s sleeves tightening. “The majority of them are false, but the Slytherins believe a lot of them. They even start some,” Harry admits, his voice small. His eyes were slowly hardening, though, and Felidor instantly plants a kiss on Harry’s head.
"I'll have a conversation with them, Harry. I'll listen to their perspectives and then try to help them understand the facts right in front of them, steering them away from being influenced by rumors. I might even have to knock some sense into them,” Felidor grumbles, a hint of a growl in his voice.
Harry grimaces at that. The mention of any of the hundreds of rumors that had gone around the wizarding community, some bordering on being slanderous, made Harry want to just up and leave Britain. Ragnok and Hermione were currently going through every single version of the Daily Prophet to catch all of the defamation. Harry was going sue the ever-loving fuck out of anyone who had caused him pain in the last 15 years of his life.
Harry decided not to respond because he didn’t want to know what Felidor might do to his mates. Because Harry, Zabini, Nott, and both Malfoys were not his mates right now. Harry doubted they ever would be proper mates. Because Harry would never reject someone, knowing it might kill them.
He had learned long ago that using his brain always enabled his survival. Listening to his emotions never really got him anywhere but dead smack in the middle of a lethal situation.
Harry’s eyes blink for a second before they zero in on the wings that seemed to be engulfing the pair of them. He hadn’t noticed before, but Felidor had engulfed the pair of them in his wings and was slowly rocking them.
“Your wings are beautiful,” Harry breathes. There were stunning in shades of obsidian that seemed to get lighter closer to the tip of the scales. The scales were smooth, black, and almost glass-like with razor edges. However, the scale became gold the closer to the tip it got until it was in such pure gold it was virtually platinum.
Harry thought they were gorgeous, and they shimmered with every movement Felidor made.
Felidor smiles lightly, eyes warm. “They suit you, love?” He asks lightly, making Harry blink. That was a weird question.
“Of course they do,” His nose wrinkles in confusion, and it causes Felidor to grab it, shaking his head back and forth gently in a mocking manner.
“I’m glad my submissive finds me acceptable then,” Felidor chuckles, making Harry glare at him.
“Don’t be ridiculous. Any submissive would be lucky to have you,” Harry was stumped by his words, and Felidor softens exponentially at Harry’s blatant, honest befuddlement.
“How lucky I am that my soul chose yours,” Felidor murmurs, planting kisses all over Harry’s head.
“You’re being weird Fel,” Harry laughs out, kind of liking that the shift in conversation had been so obvious- that Felidor wanted Harry to think of other things.
“Am I?” Felidor laughs, and it is a warm, gruff thing that causes Harry’s insides to warm and his own smile to grow softer as well. “Well I’m glad I’m your weird soulmate, aren’t I?” Felidor teases and tackles him gently so they were both lying sideways on the bed.
Harry lets out a startled giggle, a hand coming up to smack himself on the face in embarrassment.
“Hmmm, let’s sleep yes?” Felidor murmurs, and the lights turn off in the room at his command, as well as two spells to magically brush their teeth. “Also, if you ever hide your smile from me again, I might actually cry,” Felidor half-teases his heart, who laughs again, and the sound is like his personal drug. He huddles his heart closer and closer yet still to him.
“Sleep my heart,” Felidor murmurs, and so Harry slept.