Chapter 20
When Koty woke the next morning, he stayed in his bed, reflecting on the things that Bastien had told them. He stared at the light grey ceiling, noticing for the first time that there were constellations painted on it in a shimmery silver.
It was after nine by the time his dad showed up to tell him to get ready for breakfast.
“Koty?” Lucius’ voice came after a light tapping echoed through the room.
Without a second thought, Koty simply waved his hand and the double doors swung open to admit his dad.
“You are awake,” he said with a smile. “I was beginning to wonder if Draco’s habit of sleeping to lunch was rubbing off on you.”
Koty had been awake for several hours now, just thinking about everything. “No, I’m up,” he said with a long sigh. “I’ve just…” he let his voice drop off to nothing, unsure.
Lucius sat on the side of the massive bed. He gave his son a strange look and bounced on the bed a bit. “Your bed is much more comfy than mine.” For good measure, he bounced a bit more before settling and giving a chuckle. “So, what have you just…?”
“How come all this stuff,” he scrunched his nose with distaste. “Has to happen to me?” Letting out another sigh, Koty sat up and Bear snuffled sleepily, adjusting himself. He winced, shifting his wings.
“Are you alright?”
“Something’s sticking me,” he replied, trying in vain to reach whatever was stabbing his wing. “Can you see what it is?”
Lucius smiled in understanding as soon as he took a look. “You need preening,” he explained easily. “I will floo Severus before you get breakfast, all right?”
“What? Why?” Koty asked, happy to avoid talking about the whole hybrid king thing for now. “You and mum have both touched my wings before… I don’t understand.”
Leaning back onto the massive pile of pillows, Lucius pulled his socked feet onto the bed, essentially lying next to his son. “Preening is considered to be somewhat…” he hesitated. “Intimate. As such, the majority of people are unable to go against their instincts to allow anyone else…” Groaning, he massaged his temples. “I’m not explaining this very well. Perhaps we should ask Cissa for assistance.”
If it would get the thing jabbing him out of his wing, Koty was willing. Having already done his stretches in the loo when he first woke up, he scooted to the edge of the bed and let out a surprised yelp when he was picked up. Immediately, Koty wrapped his arms around his dad.
“Do you think I’ll be able to fly someday?” Koty asked, resting his cheek on his dad’s shoulder. He went to stretch out his wings, but winced when he was jabbed again.
“With wings like those,” he began, kissing the top of Koty’s head. “You’ll be able to fly to Antarctica.”
Koty just giggled. “That’s just silly.” Why would he want to go somewhere so cold?
Lucius scoffed, lifting his nose. “I am not now, nor have I ever been silly.” To emphasize his point, Lucius puffed up his cheeks and scrunched his face.
Forgoing the polite giggle completely, Koty burst out laughing at his dad’s goofy face.
“Good morning, you two,” came an amused voice.
“Morning, mum!” Koty said, catching his breath.
“What’s got you so worked up?” She asked with a content smile.
“No idea,” Lucius said playfully. “I think he’s caught some of Luna’s Three Horned Giggleflies or some such silliness.”
Koty gaped. “You were making faces!”
“Not a Malfoy!” Cissa cried, acting scandalized at the thought.
Seeing the looks on their faces, Koty just grinned. “Oh, of course not. Not the unflappable Malfoy’s. I must have been mistaken for the other strange blond who walks into my bedroom.”
“Alright,” Lucius said with an uncharacteristic snort. He put Koty down and cast a tempus. “I think Severus has free time now, but I’ll have one of the elves take him a note just in case.”
“M’kay,” Koty replied, taking a seat. He immediately reached for the grape juice, swinging his feet under the table. When it was half gone, he looked at Cissa. “Mum?”
“Yes, dear?” She asked, sipping at her tea.
“Dad said that I needed my wings preened, but that he has to let Professor Snape do it. Do you know why?” He wondered briefly if he would ever know as much about his heritage as Bastien seemed to.
Her delicately sculpted brows rose. “Well, sweetheart, think of it this way,” she took another sip of her tea before continuing. “Preening is essentially cleaning. Removing bent or broken feathers and reapplying that oil, right?”
Koty nodded, still not understanding why his dad couldn’t pick that thing out of his wing. It was starting to hurt.
“At a certain age, having your parents help clean you… well, it becomes inappropriate. In this particular case, it is even more difficult, as most fae don’t get an inheritance until they reach their magical maturity. By the time they get their wings, they’ve already known their mate for at least six months. Having anyone other than their mate preening them is akin to adultery. Yes, I am well aware that you’re much too young to even consider dating, much less adultery, but such an innocent action could cause real problems with Severus. Before you say anything, I quite understand how strange that sounds. I want you to realize that his vampiric nature would take serious offense to anyone preening your wings, but it has nothing to do with him as a person. It is entirely instinctual, and there is very little chance, if any, that he would be able to fight that.” Cissa let out a breath as Lucius reentered the room. “Do you understand now?”
Kind of? Koty nodded. Why did creature instincts have to come into play for everything?
“There is also a good chance that, while you did ask for my help, your magic may have lashed out at me, had I attempted it.” Lucius put a linen napkin on his lap gracefully and plucked a raspberry scone off a silver platter. “Unlike those of us whose magical being never manifested beyond magic-wielding, fully transformed magical beings are monogamous. For them, there is only one person who is perfect. There is no second guessing, no casual dating. They are everything you will ever need in a partner.”
“I read about that,” Koty whispered sadly, toying with his fork. “But it can’t be right.”
“Why not, sweetheart?” Cissa asked patiently.
“There’s nothing perfect about me,” he admitted, keeping his gaze down. “And now Professor Snape is going to be stuck with me forever.”
“That is quite true.”
The three Malfoy’s looked up, startled, when Severus snuck silently into the room.
“Severus!” Cissa snapped angrily. “How could you say that?!”
“Because I do not make a habit of lying,” the man replied calmly as ever, sitting next to Koty. “I know that you are not perfect. No one is. It would be dreadfully dull. Not to mention exhausting attempting to pretend otherwise. Your father did not say that mates are perfect in all ways, but that they are somehow perfect for one another. I am considered to be what you need, just as you… will be what I need. When you reach an appropriate age, that is.”
“Oh,” Koty said softly. Knowing he had to reply verbally, but having no idea what to actually say, he hoped that it would suffice. “Um, could… could you… There’s something sticking me and I can’t reach it.”
“Finish your toast and I will take care of it,” he said with a quick nod.
“How has your morning been so far, Severus?” Cissa asked, her annoyance having vanished. She flicked her wand to add fruit to his plate. For all his posturing, the man did not take the best care of himself.
He eyed her, clearly irritated. “Blessedly free from explosions, fires and general incompetence. Then again, I had yet to leave my rooms before your elf appeared.”
Cissa smirked, rolling her eyes as Lucius chuckled.
“I take it that Draco has yet to realize that the sun has risen?” He asked, ignoring the plate for an aromatic dark roast.
“Of course I have!” Draco said loudly from the doorway. He was scowling at the professor. “I was merely taking the time to… deal with some correspondence.”
“Oh?” Lucius prompted, brow arched. “And who could you possibly be writing to that you won’t be seeing upon your return to school?”
When Draco blushed, the adults tried not to laugh at his attempts to think of an answer.
“Morning, Draco,” Koty said, effectively cutting off the embarrassed stuttering.
“Morning.” The blond boy dropped into his seat with a huff and began prepping his plate.
Koty fidgeted, trying to reach what had to be a broken feather. “I’m finished,” he said, looking at the professor hopefully, indicating that his toast was gone.
“Come along,” Severus said as he stood. He took the coffee with him.
Within half an hour, Koty’s wings were free from any broken or bent feathers, carefully washed and dried, and coated lightly in the water repelling oil. Koty fell asleep in minutes under the gentle ministrations.
Amused, Severus put everything away and woke the little Vílaupír. “Koty,” he said, touching his shoulder. “You will be able to take a nap back at the castle, but first, we have to get you there.”
Unable to stop himself, Koty let out a whine. “But ‘m comfy.”
“I’m sure you are,” Severus replied, still not raising his voice from the whisper he’d been using. “But I am also sure that your bed in the dormitory will be infinitely more comfortable than awkwardly leaning against the armrest of a sofa.”
“Is not,” Koty said, still half dozing. “‘S too cramped.”
“I take it that you are not used to sharing a room?” He noticed that Koty was having trouble keeping his eyes open and stifled his urge to chuckle. “Come. I’m sure that your dormmates are not that bad.”
“‘M tired of sleepin’ on the floor. Hur’s my leg.” Koty was snoring once more.
Brows knit in confusion, he stood and picked up his little mate.
When he reached the dining room, he noticed that it had been vacated. As there wasn’t time for Draco to be flying around the pitch in their backyard, he knew the young blond would be in his room. They did have to be getting back to the castle.
Having to be awake for floo travel, Koty simply pulled the hood of his cloak over his head to avoid inhaling soot, and did a pretty convincing impression of a puddle of goo in Professor Snape’s arms.
“Koty,” Draco groaned, poking him in the ribs. When Koty wriggled, but didn’t wake, Draco smirked and did it again. His grin broadened when Koty kept squirming. Three gentle pokes later, Koty was laughing loudly and wriggling too much for the professor to keep proper hold of him.
“Uncle! Uncle!” Koty cried out between gasps. “I give!”
Letting out a snort, the young blond merely flopped onto his godfather’s settee and propped his feet on the dark wood coffee table.
“You,” the professor began, eyeing Koty. “Have no threshold for torture. Given the right amount of tickling, you would be spilling your greatest secrets to the entire student body.”
Blushing darkly, Koty simply muttered something to the effect of ‘would not’, but neither of his companions fully heard him.
“Oh, really?” Came a decidedly amused drawl.
Brows rising at the tone, Koty stole a glance upward and gasped as both his brother and his mate closed in with matching smirks. In the time it took him to blink, they had descended, each tickling one of his sides until he struggled to escape their evil clutches. They didn’t let up until he managed to wheeze out that he was going to wet himself between bouts of laughter.
Panting heavily, Koty let his limbs fall limply by his sides, wrung out.
“See?” Draco mocked. “He didn’t even last a full five minutes. That’s downright shameful.”
“Indeed,” their professor said with a long-suffering sigh, that was obviously done in jest. “What are you children taught these days?”
“You should know,” Koty replied, finally catching his breath. “You’re one of the people behind our ‘shoddy teachings’.”
“I am entirely blameless for the ineptitude of children,” he said, sniffing in faux disgust.
“And people think we’re snobs.” Draco added, cracking up.
“That is because sometimes, first impressions are correct.”
Koty broke down in giggles while his brother decided to stick his tongue out.
“Impertinent little brat,” Severus said, then called an elf for a tea service for three.
When they were all settled with their various teas, the professor cleared his throat and looked at his little mate. “There is something I would like to discuss with you, Koty.”
Looking up curiously, Koty put down his lightly sweetened citrus tea. “What’s that?”
“In addition to tickle torture and being blood drunk, it appears that you are quite… forthcoming when half asleep.” He took a sip of his suspiciously dark tea.
Draco was perfectly content to just listen, glad that he was not the one under scrutiny.
“What did I say this time?” Koty asked miserably, poking at the digestive on his plate.
“That you are currently sleeping on the floor.”
Koty let out a nearly silent gasp. “Oh,” he breathed.
“What?” Draco squawked. “Why?”
Twisting his fingers, Koty stared at the pristine tabletop to avoid their gazes. “I don’t fit anywhere,” he mumbled.
“What was that?” Severus asked, straining to hear the boy.
“I don’t fit anywhere,” he said more loudly, though it was still a low volume. “There was nowhere for me in the first year dorms, and I can’t go to the fifth year dorms…”
“Where have you been sleeping all this time?” Severus asked, masking his irritation behind his teacup.
That, Koty didn’t want to answer. He settled for shrugging.
When a cool finger reached out to lift his chin, he was able to stop himself from jumping. “I didn’t know what to do…”
“You could have spoken to any of the professors,” Severus replied. “Though I would have preferred you to bring this to my attention before anyone else.”
“Sorry,” he said, biting his lip. “I can’t seem to get anything right, can I?”
“That’s hardly your fault, Koty,” his brother interjected, rolling his eyes. “Those bastards kept you locked away for ten years like some sort of mental case!”
“Language, Dragon,” the professor snapped. “In any event, Koty, he is right. Truth be told, I am astounded that you have developed with your sanity intact. Lesser beings would have broken years ago.”
Not wanting to think about it, he opted for another shrug. “The books helped,” he whispered. “Dad did too. He was the first person I was ever allowed to talk to.”
“What do you mean?” Draco asked curiously. He couldn’t remember going more than a few hours without talking... ever.
“Before the day of my competency testing, I had never been involved in a conversation before. I’d been spoken to before, but I had never been allowed to say anything back. When I was four or five, I just stopped trying. They told Jamie that I was mute… They didn’t even know I could talk.”
Both boys jumped at the sound of shattering glass, but Koty breathed deeply, letting his eyes fall shut as the intoxicating scent filled his senses.
Draco hurried to give his linen napkin to his godfather as blood poured down his hand and wrist. He pried the man’s hand open to pick out the shards of shattered teacup, digging into the clenched fist. “What’s gotten into you?!” He demanded angrily.
Seeming to come to his senses, Severus shook his head and stopped clenching his fists and took the napkin from his godson. “I apologize,” he said, wandlessly summoning all of the tiny shards that he hadn’t been able to pull out by hand. “My reaction was inappropriate.” The fact that it hadn’t hurt was mildly surprising, but it made no difference. Out of all the things he knew that the Potter’s had done, that one had particularly upset him, hence breaking the cup in his grip. “Koty, I-” he stopped abruptly, upon seeing the hypnotised state of the little Vílaupír. Even his fangs had dropped, but he made no move to sink them into the bleeding flesh. The boy was clearly trying to force his instincts away.
With his wand, Severus healed all but one of the cuts (the one bleeding the most) and offered it to his mate. “Go ahead, Koty. It’s alright,” he added when the boy made no moves.
Upon gaining permission, however, he sank his fangs into the meat of Severus’ palm with shocking speed.
“That’s so gross!” Draco said as his nose crinkled in disgust.
Like a flash, Koty jerked back and covered his mouth, tears brimming in his eyes.
Hissing at the sharp removal of the small fangs, Severus dabbed the cuts before healing them, all the while, glaring daggers at Draco.
Noticing the look on his godfather’s face, Draco winced. “Sorry,” he muttered.
“Draco, I believe it is time that you rejoined your friends.”
“Yes, sir,” he said sheepishly, quickly leaving the table.
“Koty,” Severus began softly. “Look at me.”
With some level of difficulty, Koty dragged his tearful gaze upward.
“Nothing about your actions was anything less than natural, Koty. You do know that, correct?”
Not believing it for a second, he nodded anyway.
“Then what has you upset?”
“I shouldn’t have done that in front of nor- in front of anyone.”
“Please don’t tell me that you nearly used the word ‘normal’ to describe your brother.” He gave an exaggerated shudder. “That would be a terrifying world indeed.”
Koty couldn’t help the short laugh that slipped out. He sighed and wiped his eyes on his robe sleeve.
“Come here, brat,” Severus said as he stood. Collecting the boy in his arms, he strode toward his bedroom and carefully put him on the bed. “You can have a nap here. I have plenty of moronic essays and tests to grade, so you will be uninterrupted.” With a flick of his wand, Koty’s clothes were transfigured into fleece pajamas, as the dungeons were always cold. He could always light a fire or cast warming charms, but he enjoyed the cold.
“Are you sure it’s okay?” Koty asked, but his eyelids were already beginning to droop.
“Yes, I’m sure,” the man said, placing a kiss on the top of his head.
“M’kay,” Koty said sleepily, snuggling under the thick blankets. “Nigh’ Sev.”