So I'm Part.... Dragon??

His heat lasted a week. A week. Who in Merlin's furry anus decided that those hell breaking things needed to exist? He just wanted to talk. It was terrible. He spent most of the time with something shoved up his ass and whining into sheets. Of which, definitely need to be washed in bleach, a few dozen times at least. And he had to do that twice a year for the rest of his life? Just kill him now. It was painful, he felt like he was on fire, and so fucking empty it was unreal.

But! Now that it was over, he could go talk to Itheo and get some Hecate damned answers. So that's what he did the day after coming out of it. The day before had just been him sleeping. And eating. He hadn't had time to do much of either in the past few days.

As it was Tuesday, Itheo would be teaching, so he had to wait until after dinner to get some answers. He spent the time in his room, putting on new sheets after casting multiple cleaning charms, and trying to catch up on his lessons. He really didn't feel like facing his friends at the moment, as they would surely want to know where he had been. And while he couldn't just come out and tell them he was a Dragonborn and had been in heat for the past few days, but he didn't want to lie either. So he put it off until tomorrow, when he had answers.

Food was periodically magicked into his room, and he for the first time in weeks, he felt like he could eat meat again. To the point that was most of what he ate, ignoring the fruit entirely and picking at the veggies.

Taking a break from studying, he stretched and looked at his bed, frowning a bit. Nothing was wrong with it per se, but he kinda of missed the nest. And the three blankets from the gift givers has to get washed as well. Meaning, that they no longer held the scents they did when he got them, just smelling of laundry soap now. For some reason, this fact upset him. But that was ok, he told himself, what does it matter if they don't smell like that anymore? A lot apparently, but he ignored that.

Finally, dinner was almost over with, and he could go speak to Itheo. He threw on some warmer clothes, a purple sweater and sweats. He was so glad they didn't have to wear the uniform outside of class. Mid November weather was chilly, especially at night. And while they had improved the castle a bit while rebuilding it, it was still a stone castle. So, he went down to the common room, trying to be quiet even though it was extremely unlikely that anyone would be back yet. The common room was empty when he reached it, which was unsurprising, but also a bit unnerving if he was being honest. He was so used to seeing people in all corners of the room, studying or playing games, and the quiet was unnerving.

It was dark enough that the torches on the walls in the hallway had been lit by now, but still an hour or two til curfew. That should be enough time, right? It was just a few questions.

The entire trip to Itheo's office was spent lost in thought, to the point he almost passed it up completely. He turned towards the door, and just stood there for a minute, trying to shake off nerves. He didn't know why he was nervous, but something in him was still jittery. When it became clear that the nerves weren't going away, he took a deep breath, and knocked.

"Come in!" Answered him almost immediately, and when he opened the door, Itheo was already staring at him. She smiled.

"Ah, Harry! I was wondering when you'd stop by! I'm glad to see that your feeling better." She was grinning the entire time she spoke, and Harry could feel himself slowly calming down. "Oh! Here, come sit!"

Harry went and sat down on the couch she pointed to, and Itheo came to sit across from him shortly after. He started a bit at her clothes, as she was no longer wearing a uniform. It was cozy, a sweater and sweatpants, but both were black with neon highlights. It suited her honestly.

"So, how bout we start with what you do know, and work our way up from there?" Harry nodded his head, and crossed his legs under him, taking a moment to gather his thoughts.

"Well. I know that we're called Dragonborns, and are supposedly considered extinct to everyone. We have two second genders, Dominant and Submissive.  Thanks to this past week,I know submissives gets heats. Umm. Very protective... Omnivores? Dark creatures..." Harry paused here, trying to think if he could remember anything else, but unable to think of something. He shook his head. "That's all I know."

Itheo nodded slowly, her face thoughtful. "Well, that's honestly more than I expected. None of what you said was wrong, but lacked some finer details." She stopped talking, leaning forward to stare at him, squinting as Harry shuffled.

Finally she looked away. "How about this? I'll teach you what you need to know for now, and we can continue meeting up so you can get a more in depth learning? Especially since you have just had a long week, and definitely need as much sleep as possible."

Harry didn't even need a second to think. He was nodding before he knew what was happening. Any information right now was helpful.

Itheo chuckled, sitting back in her chair. "Ok, so, since you just had your first heat, let's start there, yes? And by the way, I myself am a submissive,so I do know what I'm talking about." She continued without pausing for an answer, not that Harry was going to disagree, even I talking about it made him want to sink into his chair and never return. Though the fact that she took was a submissive lifted some of that embarrassment, allowing his shoulders to relax a bit. 

"So as you mentioned earlier, only submissives get heats, and the first one is usually the worst pain wise. This is because it occurs when the submissive's body has fully changed to that of one that can support a clutch. Every submissive HMC, or a humanoid magical creature, gets heats. They are just naturally occuring, and show us that we are ready to start a family, biologically anyway. This is also when the instincts fully snap in place. You've probably heard it gently whispering in the back of your head by now. But after the first heat, it gets louder, kind of like a person speaking in your head. It doesn't usually control your physical movements, just gives mental suggestions. Some say it's the dragon half communicating with you. Your senses also heighten. The heats occur every 2-3 months for Dragonborns, and are a time of increased fertility. The only time they don't occur is if the submissive is pregnant, or has been wounded in such a way they could no longer safely carry a clutch.

Now, submissive's that have mates, usually trigger the dominant's rut, which is similar to a heat but opposite, to increase the chance of getting pregnant. A submissive going into heat can also trigger another submissive's heat, but only if they are mates. A heat will trigger any dominant's rut, mate or not. Which means that their mates will get seriously overprotective, more so than usual, because they don't want some other dominant knocking up their mate."

Harry could feel his cheeks reddening by the minute as she continued on. He wanted nothing more for the ground to open up a swallow him whole. The information itself was helpful, but the fact that it was about him was embarrassing. Itheo continued talking, apparently taking joy in his discomfort if the laughter in his eyes was anything to go by. 

"Submissive's will usually get what we call a nesting instinct a few days before the actual heat. They feel the need to make sure everything is clean, and allow no one but their mates in whatever room they choose. The room is usually the one the feel safest in, as this is a very vulnerable time. They then start making the actual nest. It's made for max comfort, so it's usually on some sort of cushion, like a bed. As you have done it, you probably know what it looks like, but it's an actual nest shape, like a birds. They make it up from the softest things they can find, pillows, blankets, shirts, the like. And usually includes smells that they like or bring comfort. Close people's old clothes, anything with their mates' scent on it especially. They snap at anyone who tries to interrupt this process, even mates."

Huh. Well, that explains why he had that freak cleaning urge and the mess of blankets and pillows. Though, why did he want the scent on those blankets? He didn't know the people, why would it bring him comfort?

"Starting about a week or two before the heat, they gradually stop eating meat, sticking to veggies and fruits. And then as the heat draws closer, it eventually narrows down to just fruits about three days before and during the heat. After the heat, they have a sudden urge for meat, especially fresh, for a few days before it goes back to a normal diet. During this time, the dominant's will try to take care of their submissive as much as possible, hand feeding them, bringing things with their scent on it, stocking up on snacks and water, and then hunting the meat themselves. They never leave their mate's side from the time they stop eating meat to the time the diet's normal. It's kinda cute, but honestly it's really annoying after a while."

Itheo rolled her eyes and sighed, rubbing her jaw. It was silent for a few minutes, Harry trying to sort through the information he just got thrown at him. When he was done, he was left with a question, one he wasn't entirely sure he wanted the answer to.

"Um, Itheo, can I ask something?" Itheo's head snapped up and she smiled, nodding. Harry took a deep breath. "So um, you kept talking like the dominant like, owned the submissive? Calling them 'theirs' and all that? And then there's the actual names... So what I'm trying to say is, like, do dominant's, like, rule what the submissive can or can't do? Because I don't think I could live like that, and I know I sure as hell won't be happy."

Itheo waited patiently for him to finish, but Harry could see her eyebrows furrowing the longer he talked, and by the time he was finished she was already shaking her head.

"No no no no no. Of course not. First off, the names don't really mean anything about that, it just a way to say who gets heats, and who gets ruts really. They're names left from old times, where it was like that, but it's not anymore. Some submissives like taking the lead, and some dominants like being led. It really doesn't matter. Dominant's are usually the ones most likely to be run by instincts, and snap at anything they don't like, but some submissives are like that too."

Harry could feel his breathing become easier at that information.

"And second, nobody owns anyone in a mateship. It's more like a democracy, everyone listens to eachother, and goes from there. Actually, if I had to say, if there was a leader, it would be the submissive. The entire mateship is centered around them. Of course, the dominants usually battle for top dog position between themselves, and it isn't uncommon for them to be in a relationship with the others either, but everyone actually knows who's in charge. No good dominant likes upsetting their submissive." Itheo snorted out a laugh at that, and Harry could feel himself smile along.

They say there in silence for a while, Harry enjoying just existing with someone who understood, even a bit, what he was going through, after all the months. Finally, Itheo yawned and looked at her watch, eyes widening in surprise.

"Holy Hecate, it's almost after midnight, and definitely past curfew. You need to get back to your room. Rest is extremely important after heats." Harry stood, suddenly feeling the exhaustion get to him. After the week he had and the buttload of information tonight, he really did want to collapse head first into his bed as soon as possible.

Itheo began ushering him out of the room before pausing. Harry looked to her, surprised that she just... stopped walking. Itheo shook her head and looked at him. "How bout this. You come back here tomorrow when you wake up, and we can pick up where we started. Sound good?"

Harry nodded, not really feeling like he could speak, tiredness tugging at his bones. Itheo just patted him on the shoulder with a sympathetic smile, and continued to lead him to the door. "Be careful, and quick. Don't want to be caught out and about at this time."

With that, she gave him a gentle shove out the door, and closed it behind him. Harry blinked in surprise for a few moments, before shaking it off and beginning his journey back to his room, more importantly, his bed.

His head was down in thought as he walked, not necessarily paying attention to where he walked. It wasn't like Filch was around anymore, and he knew the way like the back of his hand. The heightened senses made sense, and was probably what was making him feel a little odd. He had just thought it was the heat clinging a bit.

He was so lost in thought, he didn't even notice the person running directly towards him. Their attention was also turned away, looking behind them. And, if Harry didn't notice them from the sound of feet slapping the stone, or their scent, a tantalizing mixture of ocean, ink, and books, then he really needed to practice spatial awareness. 

He definitely noticed them when he was knocked to his feet by a body ramming into him, a yelp leaving his mouth on the way down. He landed on his back unable to do anything but blink at the ceiling for a few seconds before sitting up. Ouch, ok, that kind of hurt, especially the back of his head, where it had hit the stone, he turned to glare at the person who knocked him over, and hadn't apologized yet!, before his breath caught in his throat. Oh. He was kind of pretty.

Shoulder length shiny black hair, porcelain looking skin, angular face, and soft grey eyes. Eyes that were staring down at him in shock, and something Harry couldn't identify. The boys hand was extended down, and mouth was part way open, like he had stopped in the middle of helping him up. He looked... vaguely familiar. Harry tilted his head a bit, before the realization came, along with his breath catching. His mouth moved before he could stop himself.

"Sirius?" It was a quiet word, fading away quickly in the dark, but it seemed loud to him, and was enough to get a reaction out of the boy in front of him. His mouth snapped shut, posture stiffening, and eyes growing a bit cold. Harry couldn't help but flinch slightly at the look, growing incredibly sad for no reason, other than the fact the look was directed at him. 

"No. I apologize for knocking you down, I was not watching where I was going." The boy's had moved out more, now closer to Harry, and offer of help up that Harry took. As he placed his hand in the other's, skin tingled slightly where they were connected. He snapped his gaze from their hands to the other's face as he lifted Harry off the ground, looking for a sign he felt it too. He got none, and the boy let go as soon as Harry was stood. Harry couldn't help but frown and flex his hand at the empty feeling. He shook it off and gave the other a tired smile.

"Nah, it's fine. I wasn't paying attention to where I was going, sorry for getting in your way. I'm Harry Potter, nice to meet you." One of the boys eyebrows rose as he dragged his gaze up and down Harry, almost like he was inspecting him. Harry couldn't help but fidget a bit under the scrutiny, but tried to sit still. He was used to the stares by now, everyone did it upon meeting him. Finally, the other nodded and stepped back.

"I'm Regulus." He tipped his head in Harry's direction, and with that, took off again, leaving Harry to do nothing but blink after him before shaking his head. Whatever. His bed was calling him.