A Call to Arms

Harry shifted and yawned and then curled back into the warmth around him. Before he could get too comfy he was being nuzzled gently on his cheek from someone behind him and then a kiss was pressed to his forehead from someone in front of him. He purred and then smiled when the person nuzzling him pressed a kiss to his jaw and the person in front pressed a kiss to his lips.

"This is a lovely way to wake up," Harry mumbled and opened his eyes to stare into the very relaxed face of Ariki.

"How do you feel, Love?" Ariki asked him. Harry took a moment to think about it before he answered. His mind felt clear, his emotions felt calm, his magical core felt full and balanced, and he had never in his entire life felt so well-rested and put together.

"Honestly, I feel amazing. I don't think I have felt this good my entire life," Harry told his Beta excitedly. He felt the body behind him chuckle.

"Come on, Little Warrior. Let's get out of bed and out of the room so that the Pareya can get their rest now," His Alpha stated and stood from the bed pulling Harry with him. Harry realized they were the last three in the bed other than the Pareya who were sleeping soundly and the few Gheyo keeping watch over them.

"Daddy!!!!" Teddy cried and was passed into Harry's arms by a smiling Maurice. Harry took the toddler and snuggled him close.

"Hello, Teddy Bear. Were you good for Maurice?" Harry asked him. Teddy nodded.

"Was good for Mauwy," Teddy exclaimed. "Missed Daddy."

"I know Teddy Bear. Daddy missed you too," Harry nuzzled the boy putting his fresh scent on him. Orion and Ariki did the same. "How long did we sleep for?" Harry asked Maurice.

"Ten days, I don't think that will be a good indicator for how long your normal Realignment Cycle will be. If what your bonded says is true and you haven't had one in six months, then this was probably longer than it will normally be because of that. We will start calculating from today onward. They should become regular and predictable," Maurice informed the shocked Submissive.

"We slept for ten days? I am so sorry Oret, I never thought it would last that long. I would never have asked you to watch Teddy alone for that long the first day that you met him," Harry apologized. Maurice just waved him off.

"It was fine Harry. I didn't mind and Teddy was a dream to take care of. Now why don't all of you take turns in the bathroom and shower? Get clean and then get some food in you. Then all of you can relax until your Pareya wake up," Maurice offered. Harry just grinned and nodded. Then he waved some of his bonded for the shower. He would take his turn later. He wanted to spend time with Teddy.

As they sat and played all of his bonded took turns coming to them and touching or nuzzling them. Harry figured it was because they were re-putting their scent on both of them. He thought it was funny that they were all settling their instincts to make Harry and Teddy smell like all of them and then Harry was going to take a shower and wash it all away. At least he would enjoy the process of them scenting him again.

Pretty soon it was Harry's turn to get into the shower so he reluctantly handed Teddy over to Orion and headed for the shower in the room that his Oret was using.

"Harry?" Harry turned and saw Blaise standing just a step away from him looking nervous. Harry smiled at the Storm Joker.

"Join me in the shower?" Harry asked before Blaise had time to overthink it. Blaise nodded and allowed Harry to grab his hand and pull him into the bathroom.

"I didn't think you would say yes," Blaise said after a moment. "I know we don't have the best past." Harry cut him off with a kiss. Blaise looked a bit dazed when Harry pulled away.

"You are mine, Blaise. Just like everyone else here. I will give you the same chance as everyone else. The past isn't important, the future is," Harry told the Joker. Then he wrapped his arms around Blaise's neck and pressed close to him. Blaise smirked then and captured his lips in a fierce kiss that left them both breathless.

"Shower now?" Blaise asked. Harry nodded.

"Just waiting for you to take my clothes off. What is taking you so long my Joker?" Harry teased. Blaise took it for the challenge that it was. Harry was naked and under the warm spray of water still pressed tightly to Blaise before he could finish laughing at the look on Blaise's face.

Thirty minutes later had another bond clicking into place. Six down and many more to go. Harry was curious how many he could complete before they reached Nevarah. He was going to make a game of it he decided.

"That look on your face worries me a bit. I don't know if we should be afraid or excited," Charlie teased as Harry and Blaise came out of the shower hand in hand.

"Both, definitely both," Harry stated with a purr. The noise affected many of his bonded scattered around the room. Blaise grinned.

"I would go with excited, I think he is planning naughty things," Blaise added. Harry smirked up at him and then shared another soul-stealing kiss with his joker before skipping over to where Charlie was sitting and settling on his lap.

"He isn't wrong," Harry said with a shrug. Charlie and a few others chuckled as Quinn made his way over to Harry. He reached out a hand and Harry took it.

I would like to see your wings. Alec reminded me that you have not had any kind of care for them. I want to check your wings and scales to make sure they are properly moisturized and stretched. May I?

"Oh yeah, sure that sounds great," Harry replied. He went to stand up off of Charlie but Quinn stopped him.

Just turn and straddle him facing toward him. He can help me by rubbing the moisturizer into your arms while I do your wings.

"Quinn says for me to stay here and straddle your legs facing you. He says you can rub the moisturizer into my arms while he does my wings. Sound good?" Harry asked Charlie. Instead of answering, his Rheyo picked him up and shifted him so that he was in the position that Quinn wanted him in. Harry grinned and shifted his hips a bit making Charlie give him a look to behave. Harry just shrugged and pulled off his shirt and pulled out his wings and scales. He felt Quinn gently touch his wings and then rub his arms.

Alec was right. Your wings are definitely in need of moisturizing. Alec had a moisturizer on him that he normally uses when he is out of the water for long periods of time, it should work really well.

"Sounds like Alec needs a nice, thank you for being so thoughtful," Harry said and looked around for his snarky Merrow.

He is in the resting room still. He traded out with the Pareya while we slept. They took looking over us in shifts and Alec was part of the rotation. I think his rank was Pareya before he decided to take the rank of Merrow with our circle. He has a lot of Pareyic tendencies.

Harry just gave a 'hmm' in response. He was like putty in their hands. It felt so very nice to have Quinn and Charlie rubbing the moisturizer into his scales and wings. Ten minutes later he felt two bonds shift and click into place. He jolted up surprised. Quinn chuckled. Charlie looked a bit dazed.

"How....I - I thought..." Harry stuttered.

Did no one explain to you that it doesn't have to be sex?

Harry shook his head no. Charlie did as well. Apparently, Quinn was addressing them both.

It is just an act of intimacy. Something that makes you feel connected to your bonded in an intimate way. Preening is something very intimate for a Dragel so allowing Charlie and I to do this for you shows trust and care. That is why our bonds clicked into completion.

"That makes sense," Charlie said. Harry just nodded and shrugged relaxing back against Charlie where he had been lying. Quinn went back to his wings and Charlie just wrapped his arms around Harry and rubbed his lower back. He had finished with Harry's arms. Quinn finally finished with Harry's wings and prompted him to put them back up. Harry stayed basically limp draped over Charlie. The dragon tamer just held him close and let him relax.

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

They spent the next twelve hours in the Chamber while their Pareya slept and the Gheyo took guarding them in shifts. In that time Harry completed four more bonds with Hadrian, Wikhn, Sage, and Cyrren. That completed his first suite and was quite proud of it. Finally, his Pareya were up and looked well rested. They were sent to shower and freshen up. Since was close to lunchtime they were just going to go and have lunch in the Great Hall and check in with everyone.

Harry made use of a distraction made by the twins and slipped into the shower with Ethan. He was grinning ear to ear when he snuck back out of the shower and back into the main room while Ethan finished his shower. He was quite proud of himself. He was one sealed bond away from halfway.

"Trying to see how many you can complete before we get to Nevarah?" Harry looked over at Draco and grinned. Of course, he was the first one to figure out what Harry had planned and he had only been awake an hour.

"How did you figure that out?" Harry asked. He wanted to know what gave him away.

"Blaise, he told me about the look on your face after shagging in the shower. Since Blaise, you have shagged five and accidentally completed the other two so that's seven just since you woke up from your Realignment. Plus, I know you better than anyone here," Draco stated with a laugh. Harry grinned and pulled Draco down on the couch and crawled into his lap.

"I love being able to do this. I don't think I will ever not be surprised and so happy that I get to be like this with you after so many years of fighting with you and stalking you," Harry pressed a kiss to Draco's lips and sighed happily when the Pareya wrapped his arms around him and deepened the kiss.

"Come on, Busy Bee, everyone is ready to go for some lunch," Orion called for Harry. The Submissive pulled away from Draco and grinned up at his Alpha. Then he hopped up, grabbed Teddy, and cuddled up to Alec, who draped an arm around him and pulled him close. They made their way through the chamber and out of the doors with Harry, Alec, and Teddy leading the way so that Harry could open the doors.

They barely made it out of the bathroom door before Harry was shoved behind Alec and into someone else's arms. Before he knew what was going on he was somewhere near the back with his Pareya surrounding him and Teddy. He had no idea what had happened or why everyone was so on guard all of a sudden. He didn't hear any actual fighting and no raised voices so it couldn't be that dangerous. Maybe they just overreacted. So he casually handed Teddy to Draco who took him without thinking about it. Harry grinned and then slipped out from between the Pareya and dodged his Gheyo until he was back at the front with Alec.

Alec was standing between Raspen and Orion speaking furiously but quietly with a blue man in front of him. So another Merrow. Except this one was wearing a lot of jewels and a crown on his head. So royalty. He was also pretty damn pissed. There were two guards standing behind him carrying tridents and Harry could see the air waver behind them in two places so Harry assumed two more guards under some type of glamour.

Harry slipped his wand into his hand just in case because no one had noticed him yet other than his bonded behind him.

"I don't care if you were called by a soul scream. I will not have you bonded into a landwalker circle. You have not completed your bond so it will be easy enough to sever it. You are coming home with me now," The man in front of Alec demanded. He made a movement with his hand and the two guards beside him moved to grab Alec. Harry however was a battle-hardened wizard with very quick reflexes. He cast a protection shield around Alec, Orion, and Raspen with wandless magic. Then he cast two incarcerous back to back to bind the two visible guards before turning and casting on the two invisible guards and then he was standing in between Alec and the royal who dared to think he had to right to demand that one of Harry's bonded do anything.

"I don't think that is up to you, Sir. Royalty or not Lady Fate decided that Alec was mine. Who are you to think that you have the right to demand that he sever his bond with me?" Harry demanded. He had put his wand away but still had claws, wings, and fangs out. He was ready to defend what was his. He wouldn't lose anyone else. The man in front of him chuckled and Harry snarled and took a step forward. There was a choked noise and someone grabbed him around the waist from behind.

"Calm, Submissive mine. I don't think we are prepared for the backlash if you murder the King of the Merrow today," Harry recognized the soothing voice of his Shadow Ace and calmed only slightly. "We won't let him take your Merrow. I promise." Harry relaxed even more at that. His Ace had promised. His Merrow wasn't going anywhere.

"Harry, My Lovely Submissive. Please drop the shield and release the king's guard," Orion coaxed Harry with a wide smile. He doesn't know how Harry managed to get the two hidden Merrow as well. He hadn't even sensed them. Harry waved his hand and the shield as well as the ropes binding the four guards disappeared. He folded in his wings and crossed his arms still securely held by Hadrian just in case he tried anything else.

"Alec is mine. Sealed bond or not. Don't try to touch him again," Harry warned the Gheyo who were getting up off the ground. They held up their hands and stepped back to stand next to their king who looked far to amused for Harry.

"How did he manage to get around all of you?" Orion asked the men behind them.

"He is very fast?" Zen answered with a grin. Orion rolled his eyes and turned back around to face the now relaxed Merrow King.

"I am sorry, Alcandor. He is very protective of what is his. He is also fresh from a war he has been fighting since he was basically eleven he has lost a lot of people. You triggered him when you threatened to take Alec and sever their bond," Raspen explained to his friend.

"How did you know about the two hidden guards?" Alcandor addressed Harry instead of responding to Raspen.

"Was it supposed to be hard? I found them right away. They shimmer," Harry shrugged and said casually. Alec snickered and moved to head to Harry. Alcandor reached out a hand to grab him but Harry snarled and tried to launch himself at Alcandor but Hadrian tightened his arm around him so he couldn't move. Alcandor pulled his hand back and laughed. Like a full-throated, head-back laugh. Alec reached Harry and maneuvered himself in such a way that he was wrapped around Harry and Hadrian was holding them both.

"Cheeky brat, this is my cousin. He was just worried. I am not saying he wouldn't have actually taken me but after he calmed down, he would have let me go. He can't force me to break my bond to you," Alec told Harry with a grin. Harry snuggled into Alec and whined. Alec pressed Harry's face into his neck and Harry bit into it.

"Now look what you have done. He has been perfectly happy and content, but now you have stressed him out. I think you are going to have to give up on your idea of dragging me back to Merrow waters until we are back in Nevarah and settled. He isn't going to trust me alone with you now." Alec snarked at his cousin while Harry continued to take his comfort feed.

"He didn't seem stressed out to me. He seemed quite happy to rip my head off," Alcandor returned. Alec grumbled and Harry pulled away licking the bite mark closed. Harry ignored them and snuggled closer in between Hadrian and his Merrow.

"Here," Draco snapped before he promptly placed Teddy in Harry's arms. "Don't pull that stupid bullshit again. That was reckless and you could have gotten yourself hurt or worse you could have gotten one of your bonded hurt trying to protect your reckless ass." Then Draco turned and stormed off with Blaise grinning and following behind him.

"He is only..." "worried about you.." "...you scared him..." "...when you took off.."
"We've got him!" The twins finished together before taking off after Draco and Blaise.

Harry cuddled Teddy close and felt really bad for upsetting Draco.

"Daddy," Teddy said and gave Harry a big kiss on the cheek and then did the same thing to Alec before snuggling into the warmth the three men were giving off pressed so close together. "hungwy." Teddy murmured to Alec over Harry's shoulder.

"Alcandor, our boy is hungry. We are going to the Dining Hall. You may come too," Alec told his cousin. Alcandor growled lowly.

"Remember who you are talking to, shrimp. Your feisty little Lionfish won't always be around to protect you from me," Alcandor stated casually. Harry gave the man a look over Teddy's shoulder but didn't say anything with his boy so close.

"Come on, My Friend. We are fresh from his first realignment with all of us. Our Submissive and our child need food. I will catch you up on everything that has happened. I promise your cousin has been perfectly safe," Raspen told Alcandor. Alcandor nodded and then he walked away with Raspen and Perry followed by the two visible Merrow guards as well as Rathal, Wikhn, Jasper, and Zenith. The two invisible guards stayed behind. They had moved around and were standing in another area. Harry rolled his eyes and trilled annoyingly at them.

"You aren't hidden. Moving around the hall isn't going to keep me from knowing where you are," Harry laughed. Then one of them dropped his glamour and scowled at Harry.

"I don't know how you know where we are but no one else does. We are here to guard Alec on our King's orders. We know you and yours are not a danger to him but you are not who we are guarding him against. So please refrain from pointing us out," The merrow practically growled at Harry. The Submissive just shrugged and turned to look up at Hadrian.

"You two don't have to hold me so tightly anymore. I don't feel murdery anymore. Let's go get food," Harry told them Hadrian laughed and let Harry and his Merrow go. Alec just turned and tucked Harry back under his arm in their original position before they were ambushed by Alcandor. They headed off to the Great Hall and he could hear his bonded still talking and laughing behind him. Harry rolled his eyes but didn't say anything. He should probably be a little more wary of the fact that he had almost attacked a royal but he wanted everyone to know that he would defend what was his from anyone no matter who they were.

If Harry made sure that he and Alec sat as far away from Alcandor as he could manage no one said anything to him and he pretended not to notice the smirks and laughter from his bonded. Ethan took Teddy from Harry to feed him and Alec pulled Harry into his lap and Harry happily allowed him to hand-feed him. He knew Alec was doing it because Alcandor kept looking over at them. Harry was having his own fun by feeding Alec as well.

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

"Harry, can I speak to you for a moment?" Harry looked up at McGonagall and smiled.

"Of course," Harry told her and got up from where he had been lying by the lake while Alec was swimming in it. He had been staying close to Alec since the issue before lunch. Alec and Alcandor thought Harry was hilarious. He paused a moment and looked back at the lake and then toward where Alcandor was sitting and talking with Raspen and Perry. Harry whined slightly and Raspen must have heard him. He nudged Alcandor. The merrow king rolled his eyes and then stood from his spot and went to the distressed Submissive.

"Go and talk. I swear to you that neither myself nor any of my people will whisk your merrow away. He will be right where you left him when you come back. On my honor as King," Alcandor swore so that the submissive would settle. Everyone had noticed that the more time had passed since the altercation that afternoon, the more stressed Harry had become. Alec had not been able to leave Harry's side at all. Harry was also starting to go around with his claws and scales on show. Harry chirred up at Alcandor with such a look on his face that Alcandor actually kind of felt bad for stressing the feisty submissive so badly.

"Promise?" Harry asked finally.

"Yes, Lionfish I promise that your Merrow is safe from being snatched away," Harry whined and then launched himself at the Merrow King for a completely different reason than he had earlier in the day. He hugged Alcandor around the waist tightly and then pulled away.

"Thank you, your Highness," Harry said with a grin.

"Alcandor is fine, Lionfish," The merrow king laughed and then walked away after rolling his eyes. He went back over to Raspen and Perry who were smiling at him gratefully. Harry being stressed had been affecting the entire circle. They were all grateful for the wave of relief that flowed through their bond from Harry.

"We will only walk over there, that way you can still see him," McGonagall said with a smile. Harry smiled up at her and followed her the few steps away.

"What can I do for you, Professor?"

"I am not your professor anymore young man. I have told you to call me Minerva," Harry smiled and nodded. "I just wanted to know if you have a timeline on when you will be leaving. We need to start rebuilding so that we can encourage children to come back to school and start putting our lives back together."

"Oh, I think that Ethan, Raspen, and Orion said something about going to the bank tomorrow to settle affairs, and then depending on how long that takes we will leave tomorrow or the next day. So pretty soon," Harry told the older woman.

"Well, thank you for the information, and make sure you do not leave before you say goodbye. Also, I am going to miss you greatly and the world will be dimmer without you in it. But getting away from here and starting your new life away from all of this is going to be so good for you," McGonagall told him with a sad smile. Harry hugged her and then they went their separate ways.

Harry went to move back toward the lake to be near Alec but he paused and then took a deep breath. He went instead to find Fawkes. The Phoelix was basking in the sun. Harry decided that looked nice and lay down next to Fawkes who pulled him close. Only minutes later Fred and George came over to bask in their patch of sun with them. Then Charlie followed by Jasper. Harry fell asleep with all of his Fire types around him. He was so warm and content and it felt nice to sink into that after how stressed he was the last few hours.

These are the kinds of things he could quickly get used to. Today he would relax all day. Tomorrow he would go to the bank. Then they would be going to Nevarah to start their new lives together. Harry was so excited.