A/N: An Alternate Reality of my The Rise of the Drackens universe where Myron was never chosen by Ashleigh and Richard as their second dominant mate, so Max was never born. Myron is unmated in this series.

Also Harry had a bit more faith and trust and he confided in Dumbledore before he mated with Blaise in October 1996, so they were never introduced to one another and never mated, thus no Braiden either, which does make me sad, but it's only for this series, I still have him in the main fic, so that's okay.
Some additional information that you should be aware of, Myron is still 52 in this chapter, I will not change his age to fit in with anything or anyone else's preferences, he is still the same man he is in the main fic, he's just never been mated, never been a Father and he's kept himself in shape to attract a submissive mate instead of getting comfortable and going a little soft.

There are FOUR removed scenes from this part. If you wish to read in full, please head over to Archive of our Own, where this series is posted in full, under the same title and author.

The Dracken Memoirs

Part One - The Dracken Mentality

"Sir, I'm not really sure how to say what I need to tell you." Sixteen year old Harry James Potter said softly, staring at the desk rather than at his Headmaster. He couldn't bring himself to even make eye contact. He kicked his legs in the chair nervously as he tried to gather his errant thoughts together so that he could organise them into some semblance of coherency.

"Take your time, my boy." Dumbledore insisted as he pushed a cup of Harry's favoured honey tea towards him, picking up on his apparent nervousness and trying to put him at ease.

"Well you see, Sir, I had some sort of…" Harry groaned and fisted his hair tight, closing his eyes and just taking the plunge to get it out. "Something happened on my sixteenth birthday, Sir."

Dumbledore's shrewd blue eyes narrowed and he hummed thoughtfully. "Would this something have included a creature inheritance?"

Harry nodded, relieved and very glad that he hadn't had to come out and say it in layman's terms, he still wasn't sure he should be saying anything about it after all, because of what the book had said about Drackens being outlawed and hunted by the Ministry and by illegal poachers, but he couldn't do this on his own, he understood that much. He didn't know what to do now that he knew he was some sort of illegal, dark creature, he had no clue how to go about getting a mate as the book he'd read had told him that he needed one, or even several, but it hadn't told him how to go about getting one and as he took a deep drink of his tea, he couldn't help thinking that he'd made the right choice in coming to the Headmaster, but then it wasn't like he had any friends he could confide in anymore, not after the way he'd killed Voldemort and right in front of them too.

Ron and Hermione hadn't been able to take it and Neville still went pale around him so Harry kept his distance, the only ones who still treated him the same were Luna and Ginny, the both of them a year younger than Ron and Hermione, who had made the decision to leave him behind and on his own to cope. Yet because Luna and Ginny were a year younger, despite them still being on friendly terms, he hardly got to see them, so most times; he truly was on his own and left to his own devices. He got really, really lonely most days and had been spending a lot of time either with Hagrid, in the kitchens with the house elves or up in the Owlery with Hedwig.

"There are a few creatures that I know of that have inheritances at sixteen, do you know which type of creature you are or would you require a blood test? As far as I can recall, the Potters do not have any creature blood, but you are related to the Black family through your paternal grandmother and the Black family has a multitude of creature bloods, some of which skips whole generations and some which only show up once in a century."

"I think that I'm a Dracken, Sir." Harry admitted, biting the bullet and just going for it.

"Are you sure?" Dumbledore asked calmly, just asking with no hint of an accusation, denial, suspicion or disbelief. That made Harry feel so much better and more secure about carrying on this conversation with what little he knew.

Harry nodded. "I have scales…and wings."

"Fangs and claws too?" Dumbledore nodded when Harry did. "Well I'd say you are definitely a Dracken. Now what colour are your wings Harry, if I may ask, the colouring is significant."

"White." Harry said softly.

"Then you are a submissive Dracken, you will need to have a meeting to find a dominant Dracken to become your mate, or life partner if you prefer."

"I knew that, I just don't know how to go about getting a mate or holding a meeting, I just don't know. I…I want children, the urge is very strong, but what if I choose wrong, Sir? This will dictate the rest of my life and if I choose wrong…I can't do this!"

"If you do not feel ready, then I will request for your meeting to be held back, if you allow it I will act as your guardian and consult with the Dracken Counsel on your behalf."

"They have a Counsel?" Harry asked a bit weakly.

Dumbledore nodded. "Oh yes and all sorts of laws and regulations, I will see about getting you some books if you'd like them to better understand the laws and the culture."

"Yes, thank you, Sir. How long can I hold my meeting back?" Harry asked softly.

"For as long as you wish, but a few months to a year is normal, I would not advise you to hold your meeting back for any longer than two years at the most however, your Dracken side may react adversely to the extended period of becoming active and going without a mate and children."

"So it's not abnormal to hold a meeting back?" He asked a little uncertainly.

"Not at all, most submissives do not feel ready at sixteen to start a very committed relationship and to inevitably fall pregnant with their first child. You are still in school, Harry and with major examinations coming up, so it's only normal that you would want to hold it back for a little while, especially when you have been thrust into this revelation only very recently. You need time to come to terms with this new inheritance first."

Harry breathed out a sigh of utter relief. "Thank you Sir, I feel better already, the book I read was saying all sorts of things, some of them really horrible and it even said that Drackens are illegal, dark creatures, but I don't feel any different to how I was before my inheritance, only the wanting babies' urge is new."

Dumbledore sighed heavily. "What you need to remember Harry is that the Ministry, especially our Ministry, has a heavy prejudice on all magical creatures and beings, so Ministry sanctioned books on creatures are going to be heavily biased, they will paint the creatures within its pages in the worst light possible and because of that they are likely to have the wrong information. So we'll get you some books written by actual Drackens with the correct information that isn't biased against so called 'dark' creatures that will tell you everything you need to know to help you.

After all the werewolves are treated as lesser, as dark, evil creatures, the centaurs are treated as inferior to humans for the sake of being labelled 'half breeds', the vampires too are seen as beneath magical humans, though none of them are inherently evil Harry, but all are classed as lesser beings, as dark creatures or half breeds. They're seen as subjacent because the Ministry fears them, the same is true of Drackens, but you are not evil just because you are a Dracken Harry, like Remus is not evil just because he is a werewolf, but that doesn't mean that there aren't evil Drackens out in the world who do evil things, but being a Dracken doesn't make you automatically evil now that you have come into your inheritance, do you understand? You are still you and it is still your choices that affect who you are, not what you are."

Harry smiled and nodded, feeling very reassured and relieved. "I understand."

"Now, the Dracken species has a collective meeting in May I believe, I'll see about getting you an invite so that you might…scope them out so to say."

Harry grinned. "Doing recon on the Drackens. I like it, Sir."

"Reconnaissance, yes." Dumbledore said with a twinkle and a stroke to his beard. "Until then, I'll see about sorting you out with some information, you may have one of the Elders coming to visit you to make sure that you're treated well and are cared for, but other than that, put focus on your studies."

Harry nodded and he left Dumbledore's office feeling much better than when he'd decided to go and visit him that morning, stressing over if he should even say anything at all. But he felt so much more settled and secure now after his talk with Dumbledore and he was actually looking forward to finding out about Drackens now that he knew he could put off his 'mate meeting' and his inevitable first pregnancy. For a little while longer at least.

A full month later and Harry had to go to some stranger's house so that they could have an informal 'chat' with him to make sure that he was alright and that he was being taken care of properly as a lost member of their society. He had been told the bare minimum of information about this stranger, so all he actually knew about him was that he was a Dracken Elder who Dumbledore had requested especially for him, that he was a mated dominant with older teenage children and that he was going to help him adjust and help him with his meetings.

Of course he had to show this stranger, a Dracken Elder no less, how inept he truly was as he face planted the floor after flooing from Dumbledore's office directly to the Elder's house. He couldn't have been more mortified or made a bigger fool of himself if he'd tried.

"Oh!" A voice exclaimed in surprised shock. "Come here lad, are you alright?"

"I think so, I hate floo travel." He groaned as he rubbed at his aching forehead.

"When Headmaster Dumbledore said he had a submissive at his school I never once thought he'd meant a male submissive. It didn't even cross my mind to ask." The Elder said as he helped Harry to his feet with ease, his huge hand swallowing Harry's completely as he wrapped it around his whole hand and his wrist as he pulled him back up into a standing position.

"Sorry to be so much trouble." Harry grunted out bad temperedly, his face was on fire from his poor landing in front of this important man.

He looked up to the Elder and then up and up and all the way up to his face and he swallowed hard. The man was tall, perhaps six foot four or five and he was so bulky with muscle that he looked taller just from that and with his jet black hair, smooth black skin and very firm handshake, Harry wondered if coming here alone was a mistake, but when he looked into those calm, peaceful brown eyes, he found something within him easing and he relaxed insurmountably.

"I am Elder Jacob Midate. I am also a submissive chaperone and I would be honoured to assist you when you decide to have your meeting. It was your decision to hold your meeting back, wasn't it?" The man asked with a curious look as he made a gesture for Harry to sit on the soft, comfortable settee.

Harry nodded as he sat down, shifting a little awkwardly to get himself settled comfortably. "Yes. I…" He licked his lips and gathered his thoughts before trying again. "I had no idea that I was a Dracken, so this has all come as a bit of a surprise really, so if I can hold back being mated until I know just the basics of being a Dracken and what that entails I think I'd feel happier about it all. Oh and I'm Harry."

"It's nice to meet you Harry, truly, but that's all I care about, your happiness and your wellbeing and if that means holding off on your meeting, we'll do just that. You can call me a liar if you want to, but that's the truth and while you are in my care, my priority is your health and happiness over everything else. While I am your chaperone, from now until you are happily mated to however many dominants you need, you are my priority. Now, your Headmaster has told me that you expressed interest in the Dracken meetings we hold yearly?"

Harry nodded his head. "It'll be a chance to observe other Drackens at a distance and see for myself how they act around others. I've been reading a lot of books when I'm not studying for my lessons, but I think having the chance to go and see them in person and be able to actually talk to them would help me come to terms with everything that has happened and make me a little more relaxed about finding out that I'm suddenly a Dracken and that I have to be mated to dominants and have this huge, unending string of pregnancies and babies."

"You are much more mature than most submissives I have to deal with; this will make everything a lot easier."

Harry shrugged a little uncomfortably. The Elder looked at him strangely, as if expecting an answer, and then grinned widely.

"I think that it's going to be an absolute pleasure to be your chaperone, Harry."

"I don't…from the books I read its…well to be absolutely frank these mate meetings sound like they're played out in the same way that feeding time at the zoo is handled, only the starved pride of lions are let out to chase the injured zebra until it just can't run any longer. I don't want that, I need space and time to think and observe without distractions, this one decision will affect my entire life, it will be a huge, major part of my future, I want to make my own decision carefully after long, serious consideration and thought, not be bullied into anything or hounded into the ground until I have to give in because I just can't take it anymore."

"If that's how you truly feel about it then I'll make certain that there is extra security at your meetings and with your permission I'll enlist the help of two other chaperones if it'll make you feel more secure, but no unmated dominant is allowed in your private rooms Harry, not even for a moment and your bedroom will be next door to mine." The Elder told him as he bent forward and wrote down 'extra security' and 'contact additional chaperones' on the notepad on the coffee table that Harry could clearly see and could read with little difficulty from where he was sat, he rather thought the Elder had done it purposefully to put him at ease and to prove that he wasn't writing anything about him on his notepad.

Harry let out a heavy breath; this was turning out much better than he had been imagining it would be like, or rather how his mind had been tormenting and torturing him with as he lay awake at night trying to get images of being chased and hunted around a never-ending wilderness as faceless men tried to catch him and mate to him as he screamed and pleaded with them not to.

"So they won't be able to touch me or…or grope me or anything?"

"How about I make you a deal, Harry, I'm known as a hard arse, excuse my language, but those dominants know that if they mess with me, they're going to get a punch in the head, so you say the word and I'll sit them on their arses for touching you inappropriately."

Harry let out a burst of surprised laughter. "That sounds brilliant."

"I'll pull in Elder Trintus and Elder Kirrian too, those dominants will be too afraid to make any sort of move on you between the three of us."

"I just don't want to be pawed at like a piece of meat with no thoughts or feelings or opinions; I'm not only good for sex. I have a mind too and I want to use it and if I tell them to back off, I don't want them ignoring me or brushing me off because they think they can. I can think of nothing worse than being in a room of men all touching and pulling at me, I don't want that for myself and anyone who treats me like that is going to be discounted immediately."

"I will make your wishes perfectly clear and I will ensure that those dominants don't do anything you don't want them to, you can exile them from your meetings too, you say the word and they're gone, but be careful because they may not come back if you change your mind at a later date. But while we're on this subject line, Harry, have you had sex or any sexual contact, your scent says no, but there are always spells and potions to mask a scent. I need you to be excruciatingly truthful here Harry, no matter how embarrassed you may be over it, it is very important."

Harry nodded. "I read the books the Counsel sent me, I know that if I've slept with a non-Dracken then I'll be unable to have children, but I haven't. Slept with anyone that is. I'm a…a…"

"A virgin." Elder Midate nodded when Harry blushed and stuttered, unable to get the word out. "That's a good thing Harry, a very good thing. Some of these submissives are so into themselves that they don't even want to become pregnant, so they sleep with humans early, before they're of legal age to consent to it even, just so they won't have to deal with a body altering pregnancy when the time comes. Then when they actually choose a dominant, or even more than one if they need them because she believes she's entitled to a dominant mate even though she's selfishly made herself barren, then she's entrapping those dominants to a life with no children when the only thing that that dominant could have wanted in life was a child of his own. Drackens are very family orientated creatures after all, though there are always exceptions."

Harry pulled a face. "That's part of why I wanted to hold my meeting back, I don't feel ready…I don't feel old enough to have sex yet and that probably makes me sound pathetic, but I'm unsure of the whole thing and nervous about it too."

"It's natural to be nervous and even afraid of sex when it's been so far from your mind you haven't thought about it before, I assume that that's what has happened?"

Harry nodded. "I've never…I just don't think about it." He said. "It's not something that's ever popped up in my mind and my friends either don't do it or they don't feel the need to tell me about what they've done and I'm thankful for that, but until my inheritance, sex and babies was the furthest thing from my mind, but now it's all I can think about because they're such a huge part of Dracken culture."

"That's alright Harry, in the coming weeks and months now I'll help you through any worries or fears you may have. By the time you decide to hold your meeting you'll feel so ready for it that you'll be chomping at the bit to get to those dominants so that they can get you pregnant."

Harry laughed at that and grinned.

"I hope so, I just feel so unsure and nervous about it at the moment and I am scared of having a room full of dominants with their attention on me, it would be nice to feel excited about it, but at the moment, I just can't, all I feel is fear and nervousness and absolute dread over the very thought of it."

"Which is completely understandable, some submissives are scared going into their meetings and they've known that they're Drackens and that they'll have to have these meetings for most of their lives. I can't believe how well you are handling all of this after being thrust into it so suddenly and unexpectedly; you are a very mature and amazing young man."

"I've sort of had to be." Harry said sadly.

"How do you mean?"

Harry blinked and struggled back and forth between telling the Elder or not, warring with himself and the decision and then he decided that he had to take the plunge, it could help the Elder to protect him better at his meetings if he knew exactly who he was chaperoning, so he lifted his thick fringe and flashed the red, lightning bolt scar that made him a famous, household name.

"Holy fucking Merlin! I'm going to kill that Dumbledore." Elder Midate hissed. "I'm definitely getting you that extra security now; I'm afraid to say that if this information gets out then some of the dominants are going to want you only because you're famous and they may try underhand tactics or even force to get you as a mate. They'll lie, promise you the world, hide their true selves and tell you anything and everything you want to hear, don't fall for it, question them and then question them again, hound after them, dig out all the details and uncover their lies and then discount those that have dared try to trick you and lie to you."

"I sort of figured that could happen which is why I showed you my scar." Harry sighed. "I'm used to it happening though, people lie to me to befriend me, to get things from me, even if it's just a photo in the newspaper of us shaking hands, so don't worry, I can look after myself."

"You'll have me there with you too." The Elder said with a solid nod. "I won't let anyone take advantage of you."

Harry smiled at that. "Thank you."

"Right, are there any questions you want me to answer? Anything that's been rolling around in your mind that you haven't read in the books you were sent yet?"

"No, I think I'm alright for now." Harry answered with a nod.

"Okay then, you can always owl me if you think of something or you don't understand something that you've read and feel free to floo call me if you need to talk about anything face to face or you feel like you can't wait for a reply. I'll be around to see you again soon and I'll take you to meet Elder Kirrian and Elder Trintus in the coming weeks so that you're used to them as well. I'll be by to pick you up for the meeting in a few months too so that I can escort you there. I think that covers everything for now."

Harry nodded feeling much more reassured and happy as he flooed back to Dumbledore's office, of course face planting the floor upon his landing and almost crushing his own nose. He really, really hated floo travel.

The Dracken meeting halls were utterly spectacular to Harry and safely in the escort of Elder Midate, Harry was protected and he felt safe, at least until the dicks came skulking out of the woodwork.

"Is this your son, Jacob? A bit too pale to be yours isn't he?" One man laughed loudly at his own racist joke that had Harry staring and gaping at him, utterly aghast and thoroughly disgusted. "I thought only your daughter was a Dracken, your sons can't be any good for him. Pass him here; I'll break him in for you. I'll take real good care of him."

"This is a newly emerged submissive and he is under my care and my protection. He doesn't need you anywhere near him Brotherton and if you dare touch him, I'll kill you myself." Midate said tightly as he pulled Harry away quickly. "Bloody vile vultures these people, remember what I told you, Harry. Do not get drawn into agreeing to anything with anyone."

Harry nodded. "I remember. They might try to get me into a contract with their sons or daughters, even if I don't want to be and it could even be without me knowing about it, which does scare me. Anyone who has to trick me into a mateship like that is not someone who I'd ever want to be mated to."

"Exactly, so don't get bullied into anything and agree to nothing if you think it's worded funny or sounds awkward and strange. Now I'm going to leave you to your own devices, but you can see the guards standing around the room, they will help you and I'll be around, you've met Elder Trintus and Elder Kirrian, they'll be on the lookout for you too, but you should be okay, our species are civilised for the most part. My only fear is that they'll think you're so irresistible that you won't be completely unmolested by the end of the night and I know that's something you wouldn't like to happen."

"I'm confident that I can control the situation now and I'm very happy to know that I can give them a curse or several if I need to."

"Damn right, if you need to use your wand, then you use it, the guards have guns also, so you can go to them if you need a shield."

"I'm not going to use people as a shield!" Harry said heatedly.

"It's what they're paid for Harry, to protect the children and the submissives at any and all costs. They will protect you, besides they have guns and your attacker won't, they'll have the upper hand."

Harry nodded and then he was on his own two feet, lost in a sea of people and wonder as he tried to look at everyone and everything he passed all at once. His feet led him to a corner crèche where he spotted three little girls who were sat at a tiny table trying to unsuccessfully bead one another's hair, the scene made him grin before he turned and walked over to the bar.

"What can I get for you cutie?" One unmated dominant all but panted at him, his eyes wide and roving over his upper body, the most he could actually see of it that was while his lower body and most of his abdomen was hidden by the solid bar top.

Harry shrugged. "Juice?" He asked curiously, not really sure what they served here, but there were children at the meeting, they had to have something for them to drink, so juice was a good bet.

"What kind?"

"Any." Harry replied and stumbled around for a juice. "Apple?"

"Coming right up gorgeous. Don't go anywhere."

Harry didn't move, but he accepted his drink and he was thankful that the bartender was called away to serve someone else as he observed the room of happy, laughing, talking people.

It took about fifteen minutes before word spread to everyone in the halls that there was an unescorted male submissive walking around the meeting hall, and an unmated one at that, and Harry had the urge to just find Elder Midate and hide behind him for the remainder of the night, but he squashed down that urge and held his head high, these dominants couldn't do anything to him.

"Hi, I'm Nicodemus Maddison. Let me just say that you are absolutely stunning."

Harry turned to the side to see the tall, handsome blond man with jet black eyes. It was such a strange combination that it made Harry stare at him for a few seconds too long and the unmated dominant, Nicodemus, must have taken that for interest or permission as he crowded into Harry's space and slid a hand down to cup one of Harry's bum cheeks, squeezing hard and lifting his hand to grope Harry more thoroughly.

Letting out a soft snarl, Harry drew his fist back and punched him right in the mouth, watching with satisfaction as Nicodemus stumbled back and Harry stormed off angrily before Nicodemus could recover, bristling at the insult of it all.

"That was brilliant, boy!"

Harry turned and smiled at Elder Kirrian, who clapped him on the back happily.

"I thought for sure you would let those Maddisons walk all over you, like cockroaches they are! Hard to shake off, damn near impossible to kill and just as numerous! Makes me wonder why the hell I'm friends with them."

Harry chuckled. "That one deserved it!" He answered. "Laying his hands all over me like I'm some sort of toy."

Elder Kirrian nodded. "You show 'em boy, don't let them make you a toy. Now off with you, you're supposed to be mingling."

Harry grimaced at that as he was shimmied away and back into the open waters where the sharks were waiting, lurking, ready to take a bite out of him at the first opportunity.

He stuck to the edges of the room, not his brightest plan as he ran into a huge group of people and low and behold, there was the man he'd hit just a few minutes before.

"He's absolutely fucking gorgeous too!" He was telling a group of other men about his age, some older and some younger, but they all looked about thirty to forty, though he'd learnt that physical appearance and age were very deceptive when it came to Drackens, but what was worse was that they all resembled the dominant, Nicodemus, in some way, they had the same eyes, the same blond hair, some had the same height or build, they were all related.

"So there is an unmated male submissive here?" One older man asked.

Nicodemus nodded enthusiastically. "He's amazing! I only met him for a few minutes and he's so unlike the other submissives that it's like the difference between night and day, he's brilliant!"

"Was this assessment made before or after he punched you in the face?" The tallest man Harry had ever seen, outside of Hagrid of course, spoke up in a deep, gruff voice. It sent shivers down his spine.

"He has a hell of a right hook on him." Nicodemus laughed. "But it was worth it just to get a squeeze of those plump, pert cheeks, what I would do, what I would give, just to have a nibble of them."

Harry was horrified, mortified and enraged, so naturally he didn't think before acting or speaking and it didn't cross his mind that this must be the 'cockroach' Maddison family that Elder Kirrian had mentioned minutes before. He didn't care.

"Say that again and I'll aim for your nose next!" He hissed, which drew the attention of everyone stood near Nicodemus. There had to have been at least thirty of them and that was only the family standing in this one group.

"Wow, Nico was right for once, you're fucking stunning." What looked like a mirror image of Nicodemus said with wide, lusty black eyes, they could only be identical twins.

One of the men, the biggest one, gave his…brother? a hard smack to the back of the head and hissed at him about respect and decorum. Harry liked him even more just for that.

"Oh come on My, you can't tell me that you don't want to get him on his knees and fuck his brains out. I won't believe you." Nicodemus said, roving his eyes all over Harry until it made his skin crawl and his stomach to twist in disgust and shame. He'd never been treated like this before, ever. He didn't like it and he wouldn't accept it.

Harry took four steps forward, moved under the arm that rose to block him and punched Nicodemus in the mouth again with a solidly clenched fist. Instead of it getting him an arse kicking, the group around their brother laughed so hard that some of them had to double over.

"I apologise for my son's disrespectful manner." The oldest man there said as he came forward to give Harry a soft hug. "I tried my best with him, but with that one the lessons just went in one ear and out the other. There's nothing in between to catch the words."

Harry laughed happily. He felt so safe in the arms of this man that he actually hugged him back before he realised what he was doing.

"Now, I take it that you are underage? Which makes my son's actions all the more deplorable, but where are your parents? I wouldn't have thought for a moment that they'd leave you alone in all of this." He waved a hand to encompass the room and its inhabitants. "Unmated female submissives get hounded; to have an unmated male submissive wandering around after so long…if you were mine, you wouldn't have left my side, let alone my sight."

"Oh, no, I am sixteen; I'm holding my meeting back because I don't feel ready for it. I only found out I was a Dracken in July when I woke up on my birthday." Harry said with a nod.

"You weren't told?"

Harry shook his head. "No one knew. I had to do a test to find my last Dracken ancestor and it was my great-grandfather through my paternal grandmother. No one was expecting it, least of all me."

"That must have been a terrible shock for you." The tallest man there said with concern.

"It was weird waking up being able to see for once, I used to wear glasses. That clued me in straight away that something was very different and then seeing the tiny scales all over my body…"

"Did you find your wings?"

Harry nodded with a grimace. "And the fangs and claws. Lots of blood and slimy stuff. I was very freaked out at first."

"Then what happened?"

Harry shrugged with a small blush. "I got the urge to have babies and the fear went away."

"Why?" One of the unknown men asked.

"Why what?"

"Why would the urge to have babies take away the fear and not increase it?"

Harry sighed. "I was orphaned very young. When you've grown up without a family, the one thing you want is a family, so anything that helps get that family is very welcome." He explained, before he excused himself and walked away.

He found Elder Midate and his family and he hugged the man and his submissive, a lovely woman who always fed him cookies when he flooed over to chat to her mate about anything and everything that popped into his mind.

"How are you finding it here? Anyone I need to hurt for you yet?"

Harry shook his head. "I got groped once by someone called…"

"Let me guess, Cassander Maddison?" Midate rolled his eyes with an exasperated sigh.

"No, but he was a Maddison, Nicodemus. Just how many of them are there?"

"Too bloody many." Midate grumbled. "Cassander is by far the most touchy feely of all of them, though it doesn't surprise me that one of those terror inducing twins got a feel of you too. What happened?"

"I punched him in the mouth." Harry admitted with a wry grin.

Midate threw his head back and roared with laughter. He clapped Harry hard on the back. "I told you that you'd be absolutely fine, I bet that rankled his cage too."

"I found him again, just after I hit him. I ran into Elder Kirrian first and then I wandered off and he was telling his family about…about what he wanted to do to me, some of the things he was saying were absolutely vile as well…so I hit him again."

Elder Midate clapped his shoulder yet again. "I love you, you're like a chip off the old block and I'm proud to know you. Don't let any of these bastards push you around."

"Oh I won't."

"Off you go now sweet darling, try and make some friends." Elder Midate's mate, Bertha, encouraged as she fussed over him, straightening his collar even though Harry was pretty sure it was already straight.

Harry grimaced. "If I have to."

Harry wandered away, he got himself another drink, avoiding the last bartender who had served him and got near enough the exact same treatment from the new bartender, who even went as far as to stare at him so completely that he overfilled Harry's drink and got the edge of Harry's dress robes wet.

He got into a few conversations with some lovely older gentlemen who all tried giving him advice on a multitude of different things such as how to incapacitate an attacker, their mates and wives laughed and smacked at them and told him how to keep his dominant in line and they gave him tips on how to care for a baby before he made his escape and he all but ran into an absolute dick who grabbed him and refused to let him go and when Harry lashed out and hit him, he actually hit him back!

"Let go of me, now!" He snarled furiously as he was pulled forcefully towards the exit.

"I want you; you'd be perfect for me, to carry my children. I've been unmated for so long."

"Maybe because you're an absolute fuckwit?!" Harry said angrily as he yanked on his arm, trying to get it free.

"Stop struggling and give me a kiss."

"That's disgusting!" Harry hissed, struggling harder to free himself and twisting his head around and away from the man's worm like lips that were trying to catch his own.

The next thing Harry knew his attacker was on the floor groaning, his eyes rolled into the back of his head and the huge Maddison was holding him carefully, asking him if he was okay as he checked his bruising wrist over before cupping his chin and looking at his cheek where his attacker had slapped him hard with an open palm. It stung more than it hurt.

Harry blinked at the sudden change of situation and he grinned happily as what had happened suddenly filtered through. "Yeah, I'm fine, thank you. He was a real creep."

"I'm Myron."

"Nice to meet you, I'm Harry."

"Let's get you a drink and see about some ice for your wrist and cheek." Myron said in a no arguing tone as he wrapped an arm around Harry's shoulders and led him to the bar area.

Myron even picked him up to sit him on the bar stool as he demanded ice and a glass of water, which the bartender rushed to get for him, not even lusting over Harry or mentioning that there were likely several people in front of them in the queue.

Harry hid a smile, he found himself actually liking this man. Myron made it seem like anything he wanted, any whim he had or took a fancy too, even something utterly ridiculous or completely outlandish, all he had to do was ask for it and Myron would snap his fingers, bark out an order and he'd have people running to do what he'd asked, not because they were afraid, but because they respected him. Oh yes, Harry very much liked Myron Maddison.

Of course it helped immensely that he was also very handsome, devastatingly so and that tight, muscled body wrapped in a set of dark blue dress robes looked like it should have belonged to a man half his age. Harry licked his lips and looked away before he made a fool of himself as Myron wrapped some ice cubes in a tea towel and pressed it gently but firmly to Harry's bruising wrist as he encouraged him to drink some water. He was told that he needed to keep himself hydrated, just in case he went into shock.

Gorgeous, fit and caring, not to mention absolutely huge, intimidating and very well respected. It seemed Myron Maddison had everything anyone could want in a dominant Dracken, so why was he still unmated?

If Harry found out it was because his wings were smaller than average or he had yellow-lime green scales, he was going to go kicking submissives. Myron seemed perfect to him, even if he found out at a later date that Myron only had one wing after a fight or a tragedy, he would still be the gorgeous, caring man who had knocked out his attacker before he was sexually molested and had iced his wrist for him.

"Does that feel better?" Myron asked in his deep, gruff voice that seriously made something pool low and deep in his gut that felt warm and pleasant.

He nodded without thinking, his mind still on that pleasurable squirming in his gut, not even remembering that Myron actually meant his bruising wrist.

He looked up as Myron let out a deep chuckle, to the same jet black eyes that that bastard Nicodemus had had, only they were paired with chestnut brown hair instead of blond. Myron was smirking at him as if he knew exactly what he was thinking. He gave a small embarrassed smile and averted his eyes again.

Myron's huge, rough hand cupped his chin and pulled his head back up to face him, Harry knew his blush had deepened because he felt it as his cheeks heated up further, even if Myron was only checking on his injured cheek, though with his blush he doubted Myron could even tell where he'd been initially slapped.

"Never be embarrassed about your feelings."

"You're not…insulted?" Harry asked.

"Insulted?" Myron questioned, genuinely confused.

"I'm a teenaged boy lusting after you like an uncontrollable girl with a fanatical crush."

Myron smirked widely and moved closer, slipping his one arm around his back and this close, Harry could smell him, a subtle musky scent with a hint of something citrusy and woodsy that he definitely recognised from the forbidden forest, right after it had rained. It was like a drug and he couldn't inhale deeply enough as he shifted even closer to Myron.

"I'm very flattered actually." Myron whispered into his ear, breathing down his neck and Harry shivered as all of his hairs stood up on end and goosebumps chased themselves down the full length of his spine. He bit his lip as Myron carried on. "It has been a long while since a submissive has actually been physically attracted to me."

"But you're gorgeous!" Harry burst out in shock and then clapped a hand over his mouth and looked around embarrassedly to see if anyone had overheard him.

"As are you." Myron whispered before pressing a scratchy kiss to Harry's smooth cheek, Myron had a hint of stubble that he hadn't noticed until he'd kissed him, just a subtle roughness around the lower half of his face. He liked that too.

"Are you alright Harry, dear one?"

Harry looked over, startled, to see Elder Trintus looking at him with worry and all but glaring at Myron. He nodded quickly and he was surprised to realise that he just wanted the Elder to go away as quickly as possible so that Myron could go back to breathing down his neck.

"Yes, I'm okay. Myron was just sorting out my wrist for me, another dominant wouldn't let me go and was trying to force himself on me as he dragged me through the hall, but Myron dealt with him for me." Harry said with a smile.

Elder Trintus nodded, but he gave a stern look to Myron, who stared right back.

"Well, I'll leave you be, but if anything's the matter…"

"I know." Harry interrupted loudly, and rudely, as he nodded his understanding. He didn't even care, he just wanting the man to go well away from them already so that he could go back to smelling Myron's scent and touching him and being intoxicated by his very presence.

Elder Trintus nodded a little, looking like he was torn between going away or staying to keep an eye on him, but in the end he gave a last considering look to Harry, a last hard stare to Myron, before he finally left them alone and he was swallowed up by the crowd, but he was heading in the direction to where Harry had last seen Elder Midate and his mate, Bertha.

"I don't think he likes me very much, which is strange, he usually does. I'm one of the more respectful dominants and I don't go around groping and molesting submissives like a pseudo-rapist." Myron said and then he chuckled darkly. "He must like you a lot more than he does me."

"All of the Elders I've met like me." Harry said happily. "I like them too…most of the time."

"How many have you met?" Myron asked curiously.

"I met Elder Midate first, back in October, he's going to be my chaperone when I decide to finally have my meeting, but because I don't want to be groped and molested by pseudo-rapists, he said he's going to bring in extra security for me and two more Elders, so I've met Elder Trintus and Elder Kirrian too, they're also going to be at my meeting."

"I prefer Quinlan Trintus to his brother Quintalus. He's more tolerable." Myron told him conversationally.

"Are they twins?" Harry said with a face.

Myron snorted. "No, they're two of a set of quintuplets; Quintalus, Quinlan, Quinsy, Quinby and Quintin."

Harry looked at Myron, half hoping that he was joking.

"You're not even joking, are you?" He said in a soft sort of horror after a silent pause where Myron didn't laugh at his expense for being a gullible little schoolboy.

"No, I'm afraid not, that's what they were honestly named. Only Quintalus became an Elder though, which makes the other four more tolerable, but Quinlan is the only one who doesn't strut around with a stick up his arse, looking down his nose at everyone."

"Did their parents not know any other names or have any imaginations at all? Those poor boys."

Myron looked at him with a smirk. "They're all sixty-seven."

"I don't care; they should never have been given such uncreative names, I feel bad for the boys they used to be, having to grow up together with those names. At least try to let them have separate identities and personalities. So they're quintuplets, that doesn't mean you have to name them all the same, and with the letter Q as well! They have to try and live with those names."

Myron smiled then and Harry smiled back at him a bit bemusedly, wondering what he'd said this time.

"What did I say?" He gave in and asked curiously.

"I like that you want to give your children separate identities. Have you thought of any baby names?"

Harry shook his head. "Until recently I wasn't even thinking babies, let alone names. Why, do you have any baby names?"

Myron shrugged and looked a little uncomfortable, which Harry hadn't thought possible, but he mentally hit himself, of course even the strong and gorgeous Myron Maddison was susceptible to the emotions of all sentient beings, he was being ridiculous putting the man on a pedestal, of course he had emotions, thoughts, things that made him uncomfortable, fears and dreams, just like everybody else, he probably just didn't show them often or to a lot of people, which made Harry feel honoured and all soft inside that Myron had chosen to show the real man inside his hard exterior to him.

"Maximilius. I've always loved the name and I would like my first born son to be Maximilius. If I ever get around to having any that is, I'm fifty-two now."

"You're fifty-two?" Harry asked, rearing back in utter shock.

Myron's face closed off immediately. He nodded once, sharply. "Yes, I am." He said with no hint of embarrassment or shame, almost glaring at him and daring him to say anything about it.

"You don't look a day over thirty! How do you do that? Is it a Dracken thing? I know there is a…delay of sorts, but I didn't think it would be so glaringly obvious." Harry asked as he traced his eyes all over Myron's fit, young looking body. He really wouldn't have put Myron at a day over thirty-five at an absolute maximum.

"It's a Dracken thing." Myron said with a smirk.

"Holy hell that's going to be brilliant! Does that mean I'll look as good as you when I'm fifty?"

"You'll look even better. I'm sure of it." Myron said huskily as he nuzzled into his neck.

"What are you…oh!" Harry sighed and wrapped his arms around those huge shoulders. "That feels strange…good, but strange."

"No one has ever touched you before have they?"

"Of course not!" Harry all but snapped. "I'm only sixteen! I'm no slut."

"I meant no offense to you and likewise I wasn't calling you a slut or even thinking such a thing, I was more saying aloud what I was thinking, I just like knowing that you haven't been touched before, it's a prideful, possessive thing, that's all. When are you seventeen?"

"In July."

"So two months from now."

Harry nodded against Myron's chest.

"You don't like that I'm sixteen, do you?"

"You can't help that." Myron told him. "But truth be told, no, it does make me feel a little uncomfortable."

"Do you think it'll be better when I'm seventeen?"

"You'll be a man then."

"But I'm of age to give consent for sex at sixteen." Harry pointed out curiously.

"I think I'd like for you to finish school first."

"You'll be in for a long wait then; I've got another year left after this one, I don't graduate until a year this July."

Myron growled at him then for the first time and Harry gave him a hard stare.

"I can't help how young I am!" He said with a furious, stubborn bite. "Just like you can't help how old you are. If that's your problem with me then you're never going to find a mate because you will age every year and the submissives never will! They'll always be sixteen or seventeen at the most."

"The boy's very intelligent, Myron, you should listen to him."

Harry turned to see the older Maddison ordering two drinks just down the bar from where they were talking together, Myron standing, Harry still sitting on the bar stool.

"Father, I just…"

"Shut your mouth and open your ears! He is trying to explain something that seems to keep slipping over your head. You are not a twenty year old boy any more, you're a fifty-two year old man and you're getting older and the submissives stay at around about the same age. Are you going to end up like your brother Cassander? Or, Merlin curse me, will you end up like your brother Benedict? I have eyes and I have a gut and both are telling me that this little cutie actually likes you, he actually likes you and if you do anything to hurt him I'm going to smack you upside the head."

Harry laughed. "I like you too."

"You're a breath of fresh air in this stuffy, stuck up clique of submissives who think they're all Queens that should be deified for eternity."

Harry smiled and turned to take a drink of water and checked on his hand.

"I just want to be normal, or as normal as I can get after finding out that I'm part dragon."

"A bit difficult." The man said with a nod. "I'm Alexander by the way, Father to the stubborn mule that you're trying to talk to."

"It's nice to meet you Alexander, I'm Harry."

"It's lovely to meet you too; I hope that soon you'll be joining my family, if this twit pulls his head from his arse that is." He told Harry before turning to his son. "I love this boy. You, you damned stubborn donkey, your Mother wants to see you happy, so pull your head out of your arse and ask him out to dinner!" He demanded, pointing a finger at Myron.

Harry gaped after Alexander as he took his drinks and left the bar.

"Will you?"

Harry turned back to Myron. "I'm sorry, what?"

"Would you like to go out to dinner?"

"Is that allowed?"

Myron chuckled. "I'm a Maddison; no one is going to say anything to me."

Harry laughed. "Okay, but I feel very uncomfortable in fancy places and honestly that looks like the only place you'd actually go to."

Myron smirked at him. "Leave that to me. Come on."

"Now?" Harry asked, his eyes widening.

"If we can sneak past your Elder guards."

Harry laughed. "Come on then, I'm sure we can sneak out."

Myron took his hand, supported him as Harry pushed himself to the floor from the high bar stool and pulled him gently towards the huge front double doors that were thrown open into the outside hall that led to the floo banks, the toilets and the baby changing rooms. Harry was surprised when they actually managed to do it and Myron pulled him close and held him protectively and lovingly as they walked casually past the two guards to the three fireplaces.

Myron held him tightly as he threw in a pinch of floo powder and called out their destination in the bright green flames. Harry would have hit the floor if it wasn't for those huge, strong arms around him.

"Sorry, I'm not too good with floo travel." He said apologetically. "I even caught my head on Elder Kirrian's coffee table when I fell out of his fireplace. He threw it out the front window."

Myron chuckled. "I'll have to make sure I buy a padded rug for when you come over to my home."

"Oh, a bit confident that this date will go well then?" Harry teased.

"Very. My Father is right, I like you and I'm not going to let something as ridiculous as age stop me from pursuing you. You're honestly the only person to have held my attention for more than a few minutes in several years now; you're a wonderful person, unlike some of the submissives I've met over the years, so I hope to get to know you much better."

Myron tugged him, being mindful of his bruised hand, out of the pub they'd landed in, down the street lined with strategically placed benches, they crossed over to the buildings on the other side and finally walked into a lovely restaurant, which was a really fancy place.

The only reason why they weren't sticking out was because they both already had dress robes on from the Dracken meeting. At least it looked like there wouldn't be four forks and a dozen spoons at each place setting, he counted that as a plus at this point.

"Do you have a reservation?" A stuffy, stiff backed Maître d' asked them primly, looking down his nose at them, one hand on the register in front of him.

"No." Myron said simply.

"Name, Sir?" The man sniffed, as if he had to face this same situation several times a night.

"Myron Maddison."

"Oh Mister Maddison! Right this way, Sir!" The man's demeanour chanced so significantly that Harry blinked as he immediately warmed up to them and started profusely licking Myron's arse. "I apologise for there not being a hostess tonight, Sir. She has flooed in to say that she cannot make it for personal reasons, so if you'd like to follow me to your table." The man grabbed two menus from the stack he had underneath his podium which held the restaurant reservations and walked further into the warm, cosy restaurant, he and Myron following sedately.

Harry grinned as Myron turned and winked at him with a smirk. He was very, very curious now as to how Myron had earned his respect and how he got a table in this sort of restaurant without a reservation when one was so obviously needed.

They were seated at a small, intimate table with two chairs and a small, discreet cluster of three slim candles surrounded by a low, elegant nest to cover the holders. It was lovely, but small enough so it didn't obscure Harry's wonderful view of Myron sat across from him.

"Is this too fancy for you?"

"I'm horrified that you know anywhere even fancier than this place!" Harry said with a smile as he looked around, at all the tasteful art work, the obvious effort put into the lay out and the aesthetics of the room. "It is lovely here though."

Someone touched his hand and Harry turned back to smile at Myron, who was cupping his hand in his own.

"Are you hungry? My treat." Myron said with a sly smile. "If you've already eaten then there's always…dessert."

"Why do you make it sound like there are two meanings to dessert?"

Myron chuckled. "There are and I'd be very happy to show you both if you'd like."

"I did eat before I came, so just dessert sounds like heaven, unless you want to eat?"

"Dessert sounds perfect to me." Myron said with a sly smirk that said he meant more than he was saying. Harry was completely bemused.

A waiter rushed to them and he smiled politely, until he caught sight of Harry. He was at the perfect angle to see his scar under his fringe and his wide, shocked eyes went from Harry to Myron and then back again, obviously taking in exactly who Harry was from his scar and the obvious age difference between him and Myron and their clasped hands on the table top. Harry lifted his free hand self-consciously and flattened his fringe down to his forehead.

"A slice of your finest chocolate cake." Myron ordered, giving the waiter a very solid, intimidating glare as he handed over the menu, Harry watched the ripple in those huge shoulders and arms as he did so and so did the waiter as he gulped audibly.

"A slice of vanilla cheesecake for me, please." Harry said with a grin as he watched the waiter be frightened and cowed by Myron's glare.

"You can have anything you want mind." Myron told him seriously.

Harry checked the menu once more and he actually took note of the prices this time. The vanilla cheesecake happened to be the cheapest dessert on the menu and Myron thought he was doing it purposefully. He grinned wider.

"I love a good vanilla cheesecake." Harry said. "Besides…we can always share." He gave a naughty wink to Myron and the waiter went redder than red as he took the menu from Harry's hand as it was held out and rushed away to Harry's laughter.

"You're a very naughty boy; I'm going to have to teach you some manners."

Harry's grin widened. "I learn best through fun, strenuous, pleasurable ways."

That startled a laugh from Myron, a deep, very pleasant sound that made Harry shiver for reasons that he'd never shivered from ever before.

"I'll have to remember that well then." Myron rumbled huskily.

Seriously, Myron's voice was something else, he could sell sex with just his voice and Harry rubbed his arms as they broke out into goosebumps.

Their cakes came quickly, before the silence between them could become strained or awkward, but long after Myron had noticed the effect his voice was having on his young dinner date.

Harry sliced his vanilla cheesecake with the side of his fork and he took a bite. He moaned as he chewed and swallowed.

"That's gorgeous, I really love vanilla cheesecake." He said and then looked up to see Myron staring at him. "What? Did I get some on my face?" He asked a bit concernedly, his cheeks heating up with embarrassment as he rubbed at his mouth discreetly with his hand.

Myron chuckled. "You didn't get anything on your face."

"Then why are you staring at me?" Harry asked curiously.

"I like seeing how much you enjoy eating your cheesecake." Was all Myron said as he continued to stare at him.

Harry gave him a look and went back to eating his dessert. He looked at Myron from under his lashes and he grinned softly.

"This really is good, here, you have to try it." Harry said, offering out a forkful of the cheesecake to Myron.

Myron smirked at him, seeing right through him, not that Harry was trying very hard to hide his intentions as Myron slid his mouth over the fork and slowly slid the cheesecake off with his lips. Harry's stomach tightened and he went a little hard in his formal trousers. That had never happened before and he was a little startled that he was getting aroused by this older man and in a posh, cosy, quiet restaurant of all places!

"That is good, but I still think mine is better, here."

Harry had the tables turned on him as Myron offered him a large bite of rich, dark chocolate cake. Too large. Harry managed to take it into his mouth, chew and swallow, but not without getting the sticky, chocolate ganache topping on his lips.

He licked them to clean them, watched almost avidly by Myron, who followed the line his tongue made around his lips.

"You're right, that's gorgeous, but very rich, I doubt I would have finished a whole slice."

"Not by yourself." Myron said with a smirk and a pointed look to the second forkful of cake he was offering out.

Harry grinned and took this piece into his mouth, again getting the thick, sticky chocolate ganache on his lips. He did the same, licking his lips to clean them.

"You missed a spot." Myron told him.

Harry licked his lips again.

"Did that get it?" He asked softly.

"No. Here, let me."

Harry was startled and almost frozen in his seat as Myron stood, cupped the back of his head and pulled him into a soft, chaste kiss, a strong, warm tongue flicking out over his upper lip before Myron pulled back and sat back down.

"There, all clean."

Harry laughed, a bit worried to hear that his voice had gone deeper. That had never happened before either. He was so hard in his trousers that the seam to his zip was cutting across him, but he didn't want to adjust himself because it would be noticeable and very rude in such a quiet, posh setting filled mostly with older couples, who kept sending the both of them either curious or supercilious looks. He wriggled a bit and sunk his teeth into his bottom lip as that just seemed to aggravate the situation. This had never happened to him before; he didn't know how to deal with it, he didn't know what to do to make it better. He even tried picturing Dumbledore naked, then when that failed as he'd never actually seen Dumbledore naked, he tried thinking of McGonagall and Flitwick kissing, but all he could see and think about was the drop dead gorgeous, amazingly sexy man opposite him and he throbbed against that zipper seam and bit back a gasp of pain.

"Are you alright? Your cheeks have flushed." Myron pointed out, which of course just made Harry flush all the more.

"I'm fine." He squeaked out.

"How about I show you the second way to have dessert?" Myron asked, his black eyes all but burning in desire.

"Okay." Harry agreed before he even really knew what he was agreeing to, he just wanted to get out of this restaurant as quickly as he could so that he could adjust himself.

Myron hailed a waiter and paid quickly for their two cakes before Harry could even formulate an argument about splitting the bill equally and he grabbed Harry's hand, laced their fingers together and walked out of the restaurant.

"Hold onto me tight." Myron instructed and Harry felt a flash of fear and a mental scream of 'what the fuck are you doing?' but they were both overshadowed by the heavy throb of arousal and desire that shot through his body as he slipped his arms around Myron's waist and held on tight, inhaling that intoxicating scent that clung to the man he was holding.

A moment later they landed on the soft, lush grass of a front lawn that led up to an absolutely huge, stunning manor house.

"Is this all yours?" Harry asked with a stunned gasp.

"The house, the grounds, the lake and waterfall out back and the surrounding fields. All mine." Myron told him before he pulled Harry's head to his and kissed him hard.

Unlike the peck to the cheek at the bar and the naughty, but chaste kiss to the mouth in the restaurant, this kiss was deep, passionate and very wild. Harry was caught up in it and helpless to resist as Myron plundered his mouth with his tongue, their lips pressed together hard and then Harry realised that in order to reach Myron's mouth he either had to be on a ladder, or Myron had to be on his knees.

They broke apart for breath and Harry looked around, only to find himself plastered to Myron's front, one huge, muscular arm was wrapped around his upper back, the other was supporting his bum and he was over a foot higher than he should have been. Myron had picked him up when he had been distracted with the electrifying kiss.

Myron pulled him back into another toe curling kiss and Harry's chest heaved. When they broke apart this time they were both panting and the air felt too thick to draw in a proper breath. Myron walked with him to the front door of the house and Harry couldn't wait any longer, he had to have another kiss, so he initiated their third 'proper' kiss and tried to let his enthusiasm overtake his glaringly obvious inexperience. Myron didn't seem to mind in the least as he pressed Harry to the wall of the small enclosed doorstep and kissed him back hard and deep, still fumbling for his house keys.

He broke away from the kiss and cursed, looking down at his pockets, trying to remember through his lust thickened brain which bloody pocket he'd put his damn keys in. His hand encountered his cheque book and he snarled angrily and then Harry's mouth was on his neck and he gave up looking for them as he threw himself back into kissing Harry, loving the feeling of those legs wrapped around him, though Harry seriously could stand to gain a couple of stone. He obviously had no problems with eating, not even indulgent desserts and he hadn't excused him to go to a bathroom where he could have made himself vomit, so it was unlikely that he had an eating disorder, so perhaps it was just genetic or he was merely in the gangly stage of being a teenager where nothing he ate had any effect on his weight, but either way he would feed Harry up a little, his mate wouldn't starve while with him, he just would not allow it.

It took perhaps four seconds before what he had thought filtered through to his conscious mind and he pulled back sharply from a dazed, glassy eyed Harry. Seeing the picture of utter lust he made almost sent Myron straight back to feeding from his small, pliant mouth, but if what he thought had happened had actually happened, then they no longer had a choice in the matter.

"I think I've chosen you as my mate." Harry told him with a slightly breathless slur.

Myron blinked. He'd just been about to say the exact same thing and he smirked.

"Do you mind?" He asked, his voice thick and deep with arousal.

"No." Harry said, shaking his head for extra emphasis and Myron couldn't wait, not even the minute it would take to dig his keys out of whatever pocket they were hiding in as he took Harry to the front lawn and sprawled him out over the grass, still warm from the sun, even if evening was rapidly turning into night.

"I swear I will find my keys and take you up to a proper bed, even if I have to dig out my wand and break into my own house, but I don't think I can wait, it's been too long since I last did anything remotely like this."

Harry's response was nonverbal, but as he surged upwards and pulled Myron down by his head, kissing him all the way, Myron took it to mean that Harry didn't actually mind the unromantic, rushed setting.

Removed scene!

He didn't move much as he was already feeling the twinge of overexerted muscles, but he did dig through all his pockets to find his elusive keys, before gathering up all the robes and ripped, scattered garments and he moved to his knees to cradle Harry oh so gently against his chest.

He carried his precious submissive mate back up to the porch and to the front door, where he used his located keys to unlock his front door and bring Harry into his house. He couldn't even bring himself to call it his home; it was just so empty, always empty. He'd most definitely thought when he'd first bought it that he was preparing for the future, and he'd believed fully that he would have been mated with a horde of children, maybe even grandchildren too, by his age, but things hadn't worked out that way and he found himself burying himself in his work, just so he didn't have to come home to this giant, empty, silent prison that he'd bought for himself two decades ago.

He looked at Harry and tenderly brushed a sweat soaked lock of jet black hair out of his closed eyes. Perhaps now that he had Harry he could finally cut back on his work load, take the mass of accumulated holiday time he'd built up over the years and he could finally have the family he'd dreamed of for so long. Harry wasn't like the usual submissive Drackens and he was male too, which was an added bonus in his books, but he could find himself easily loving Harry, he was so very easy to love, he'd already witnessed that himself, his own parents had fallen for Harry after meeting him for only a few minutes earlier that evening.

He carried Harry up the stairs and into the master bedroom and he grinned. He needed a large bed because he was a large man; he couldn't wait to see Harry writhing around on the sheets of his bed, but first he'd let Harry sleep and recover, honestly speaking he needed the recovery time too, that orgasm had knocked him for six and he needed to get his breath back so to speak.

He went into his en suite bathroom and cleaned himself up; his knees were absolutely filthy and covered in mud and grass stains.

He went back into the bedroom with a cloth to clean off Harry's feet, his heels were filthy too, covered thickly in mud and had broken blades of grass stuck to them and he carefully cleaned him up and he lay down next to Harry, just watching him in his unconsciousness. He was getting hard again, just from seeing Harry, naked on his sheets, knowing that this young man was his submissive mate and all they needed now to make it official was Harry's heat period, which would hopefully be soon now that they had bonded together.

Harry came to a few minutes later, his nose scrunched up and his eyebrows crinkled. Myron had already cleaned Harry up and there was a glass of water waiting for him too.

"Are you alright?"

Harry cracked open his eyes and peered up at Myron and he grinned tiredly.

"I'm fine." Harry croaked out through a screamed raw throat.

"Come here, have a drink." Myron encouraged as he slipped an arm around Harry's shoulders and lifted him up so that he was able to sip down some water.

"Thank you."

"You're not in any pain, are you?" Myron asked.

Harry shook his head. "No, I'm okay."

"You'll be feeling an ache or a soreness soon, not enough time has passed yet. It's normal to feel it, especially as it was your first time, but sharp pain or unbearable pain is not normal and might mean that I've caused you an internal injury, so don't hide it away."

"I'm sure I'll be just fine, stop your worrying." Harry laughed, cuddling into Myron and resting on him as his tender lower body twinged slightly.

"I'm worried now that your Elder guards are going to come looking for you." Myron sighed.

Harry laughed. "Not until tomorrow at the earliest, they made sure I knew how to make a distress call before they allowed me to go to the meeting and I was assured that if I wanted to leave at any time, then I could use the floo connections to get back to Dumbledore's office at Hogwarts."

Myron threw his head back and laughed before he rolled on top of Harry and kissed him deeply, loving that Harry's own laughter cut off with a soft, surprised moan.

Still naked from their tryst down on the lawn, it didn't take much for them to both be wound together and rubbing their bodies together again.

Removed Scene!

Harry woke up and blinked as the events of last night rushed back to him as his lower body twinged with remaining soreness. He looked around the unfamiliar bedroom, every sight throwing him back into a vivid flashback of everywhere in the room that he and Myron had had sex and in all the various positions too.

He rolled over in the bed, looking at all the love bites and fingernail scratches and the various other marks and bruises he had from Myron on his body and he grinned. He felt loved, reassured, comforted and he felt like he actually belonged to Myron and as strange as it seemed, he liked those feelings very much.

He sat up in the bed; he could see the sun being blocked by the blackout curtains, the golden glow around the edges high and bright. It was at least midday.

He got out of bed and found his boxers on the floor, pulling them on sluggishly and with a bit of difficulty as his legs felt like jelly and his lower back spasmed with pain before he went looking for Myron, leaving the rest of his clothes off despite how self-conscious that made him feel as he was completely exposed. He didn't think his back would be up to the challenge of bending so often so soon after it had been so thoroughly pounded.

Of course if he'd known that Myron had company over then he most definitely would have hunted down every last sock and struggled and forced himself into the rest of his clothes despite the pain and discomfort it would cause him, just so that he was dressed fully.

"So much for you not knowing where he was, eh Myron?" The devilish grin the man gave Harry had him blushing hard.

"He was sleeping and I didn't want you bothering him." Myron said as he pulled the tee shirt off of his own back, revealing a vest top underneath, and he handed the tee shirt to Harry, who tugged it on quickly and smoothed down the warm fabric so he was covered to his knees.

"Aw, I was enjoying the love bitten view."

"Shut up, Julius." Myron snapped.

Harry ducked his head away and when Myron's arm wrapped around him, Harry cuddled into Myron's offered bulk.

"So…is he legal?"

"Of course he's legal!" Myron burst out furiously.

"Was he willing?"

Myron was so furious he growled roughly, looking like he would kill his…brother? Was this man another brother, an Uncle? Perhaps he was a cousin.

"Yes, I was." Harry answered with a glare.

"This is a whole new can of worms you've opened Myron. The Elders have been frantic to find him after Albus Dumbledore contacted them to say that Harry never arrived back at the school. They think he was whisked away by a dominant…looks like that much was true at least, but they think he's been kidnapped, raped and mated against his will."

"I haven't." Harry hissed.

"Myron is much older than you, he knows how he's supposed to act, what's expected of a dominant Dracken of his prestige, he should have had more control over himself, you're going the way Ben did!"

"Do not compare me to Benedict!" Myron growled furiously. "He was lonely, he lost his job, he had nothing left and he snapped because of it."

"You're telling me that you were entirely in control and completely lucid when you whisked an unmated, orphaned, virgin submissive to your house to have sex with him?" The man Julius scoffed. "Myron, this looks bad…no, this looks absolutely terrible! You could face death for this!"

"What?! No!" Harry shouted as he held Myron tighter. "Why is Myron fully to blame? I was a part of this too, I agreed to it, doesn't that count for anything?"

"Fortunately for Myron, yes, it does count and as it seems you've bonded together willingly, that'll count too, but you know, Myron that before you've fully mated then the Counsel can execute you with the full backing of the Elders and within the law. The new law passed last year only covers mated dominants Myron, and you're not mated yet."

"I know and if they do decided to execute me then I'll still stand by what I did, it was worth it to know Harry for even one night."

"Looks like you did more than 'know' him for a night Myron. Really, deflowering an unmated submissive after stealing him away from under the Elders' noses, it's a move that Cassander will be deliriously proud of. What in the name of Merlin were you thinking?"

Myron remained silent and the man opposite threw his arms up.

"You had better hope that you're let off Myron, for our parents' sake. Have you thought what this will do to Mum? You saw what she was like after Benedict, how could you have done this? To her of all people if you don't care about your own life."

Harry felt terrible. In fact he felt evil for causing this family so much pain and to find out that Myron might be executed for having sex with him, he wanted to be sick. He knew that dominants could be executed for rape and for acts of unneeded violence, he'd read the books he'd been given carefully, but he'd had absolutely no clue that they could be executed if he was very much a willing partner! He'd have never of even agreed to leave the Halls with Myron if he'd known that little tidbit of information!

He clutched at Myron tightly and he felt the heavy, reassuring arm of Myron rub at his back.

"It's going to be fine Harry, Julius is just scare mongering. They wouldn't dare execute me, for your sake as much as my reputation and prestige, you're new to the Dracken culture, they wouldn't dare risk sending you running for the hills."

"That's true at least." Julius nodded before he sighed. "Damn it Myron, couldn't you have just waited until Harry had his first meeting?"

Myron chuckled then and large fingers that had touched every inch of his body, inside and out, rose to caress his cheek lovingly.

"No, I couldn't have waited a moment more. Our connection was almost instantaneous. I would have gone mad with the wait and Harry would have started his heat without me."

"Wait…you bonded while in the meeting halls?" Julius asked, his mouth gaping and his eyes popping from his head.

Myron nodded. "Within minutes of me touching him for the first time. I had hoped merely to make a good impression. Especially when I saw that scum fuck, Leighly, slap Harry across the face as he tried to drag him off to rape him. Some people shouldn't be allowed in the meeting halls."

"So you bonded through that? Not later?"

Harry shook his head. "I felt the connection, though I didn't know what it was, I just thought it was instant attraction, though that was part of it. Myron took such good care of me that I couldn't help it."

"Well that's going to help your case insurmountably." Julius said with a sigh. "Well, time to get this over with, Dad's been frantically searching for Harry, you made a good impression on him and he likes you."

Harry blinked as he remembered the kind man he'd barely spoken to the night before. For him to be frantically searching for him, Harry rather thought that that spoke more to Alexander's amazingly caring personality rather than anything he'd done himself last night, but Myron and Julius just laughed at him when he pointed that out to them.

"Oh I love him, you make sure you stay alive Myron, I want him to be a part of our family; parties, events and get togethers are going to be so much more interesting with him there, and get him with a baby too, you know how Mum loves to fuss."

Myron rolled his eyes and shoved his brother towards the fireplace.

"Alright, alright I'm going. Just don't have any more sex with him, Dad will be over here as soon as I'm gone, then the Elders will be around and he's got school tomorrow, his Headmaster might be around too."

Harry groaned and buried his face in his hands.

"It's too late to be embarrassed now. You should have thought of that before you gave yourself to my baby brother."

Harry peeked out curiously then. Myron did look younger, but he was so big and broad that he looked older.

"Yes, he's the youngest of our family. So you better not hurt him because he has thirteen very protective older brothers and seven very over protective older sisters and that's before our Mum and Dad get involved."

Harry smiled at that. He liked that Myron's brother was warning him off, despite Myron being fifty-two years old and very capable of looking after himself, especially with those muscles of his.

"You're supposed to be terrified! Not grinning like a loon at my threat." Julius pouted.

"I don't have any brothers or sisters or any parents. It's nice to see how you're so protective of each other, I like it." He said softly.

"Aw, kid, come here." Julius hugged him tight and Harry grinned as he heard Myron's soft, possessive growl. "I really want this one in the family. I need a brother-in-law I can actually stand to be near for extended periods of time. Or would he be a sister-in-law, you know as he's the submissive and going to be the Mother of your children?"

"Go away before I hurt you." Myron growled as he pulled Harry back into his own arms and pulled him into the kitchen.

He sat Harry on an island bar stool and put a magically warmed plate of food in front of him and Harry ate, not fussy about what he was actually eating, though there was a huge variety, including bacon and eggs, buttered toast, a blueberry muffin and a bacon roll. He was surprised to realise he was completely famished and he ate as fast as he could without turning into another Ron. He didn't want Myron to be disgusted with him.

Two tiny, single dose bottles of potion were placed by his hand and Harry read the labels on them as he took another big bite of his bacon roll. One was a pain reliever and the other was a muscle relaxant, they both had Slug and Jiggers Apothecary written on them at the top of the label, a shop Harry knew sold potions ingredients, readymade potions and full potions kits for school students.

He ate the rest of his bacon roll, swallowed both potions, one after another, with the glass of pumpkin juice that Myron handed to him, even as his mate gulped down a mug of strong, black coffee like a lifetime addict and he smiled, he liked this.

Harry went right back to eating his bacon and eggs with his toast and ignored that Myron watched him, he did take note of the clock though, it was early afternoon, just gone one O'clock, no wonder people were looking for him, he should have been back in Hogwarts by now, people were going to ask questions, especially his house mates who he shared a dorm room with, even if one of them was Ron and they hadn't spoken to one another for over a year now.

He was just finishing his breakfast, the gorgeous blueberry muffin, when Alexander Maddison rushed into the kitchen, he looked from his son, who with as big as he was took immediate focus of any and every one who entered the room, to Harry who was sat at the island still, holding a glass in hand, muffin in the other, very obviously wearing Myron's shirt and staring back at him.

"Oh I didn't want to believe Julius, how I didn't want to believe him. Harry, are you alright?"

"Of course I am." He said bemusedly. "Why wouldn't I be?"

"Well…Julius said that you and Myron…is it true that you've bonded?"

"It is true. To your question and the one that you couldn't quite manage to say." Myron said simply as he took another gulp of coffee. His second mug since Harry had woken up.

"I'm going to have to pull major strings here Myron. After Benedict I would have hoped that my remaining sons and daughters would use their brains, that they'd take more care! I don't want to have to go through what I did with Benedict for a second time, isn't losing a son and two daughters enough?!"

"I'm sorry." Harry said softly and hoarsely as tears threatened to clog his throat, his guilt welling up again as he hunched himself over.

Myron came around the island and threw that arm over his shoulders.

"You knew I wouldn't regret this, your tirade has done nothing but upset Harry and we both know that he has nothing to be sorry for or to feel guilty over, neither of us do."

"This is…Myron, you're my son, my youngest son, I can't lose you."

"You're not going to. I don't know what you think happened or what Julius has told you Dad, but Harry and I were both consenting, I didn't push him, I didn't pressure him and I certainly didn't force him."

"I just don't understand how this has happened; I brought you up better than to sleep around."

Harry didn't know whether to be offended or not, but he must have shown some sign as Myron's hand tightened on his shoulder and Alexander reared back in surprise.

"I'm not suggesting for a minute that you do sleep around Harry, of course not, that would be ridiculous, but this has all happened so very fast, you said you only found out you were a Dracken in July, not even a full year ago and now my idiot son has broken your virginity and bonded to you."

"I was…"

"I know, I know, you were willing, but if they wanted to the Elders could call this foul play, they could pull Myron's age into it, how you had no idea beforehand that you were a Dracken, they could try and claim that you didn't know what would happen…"

"I did know, besides I bonded to Myron in the meeting halls."

"You did?"

Myron nodded. "Almost as soon as I touched him I started to feel the irresistible pull towards him that you said you felt towards Mum. I couldn't stop touching him, I wanted him close by, I had to smell him, I needed to bond to him before anyone else did…I couldn't wait."

"So you dragged him to your house and had sex with him." Alexander deadpanned, his eyes flashing his anger.

"No, we went and had dinner first." Harry told him. "Like you suggested."

Alexander eased down when he heard that and he deflated a little, his eyes softening.

"You did?"

"Yes, we did." Myron nodded. "I took him to the Garnet Swan for dessert."

Alexander sighed. "Well at least you were considerate to some degree."

"What happens now?" Harry asked as he looked between them.

"I suggest you going and getting dressed first and foremost; I'm going to go tell the Counsel Elders that you've been found before they accuse some poor innocent dominant of your murder. They'll be around here as soon as I tell them where you are."

Harry sighed and nodded, leaving the room and going back up the wide stairs to Myron's bedroom. He got the wrong door twice before he found the master bedroom again and he was in the process of getting dressed when Myron came into the room, the look on his face and in his eyes had Harry's breath catching in his throat.

Myron caught him up in his arms and pulled him all the way up to his mouth and Harry's arms found their way around Myron's neck and they kissed passionately. Harry moved his tongue into Myron's mouth, playing with Myron's tongue, in a way that was becoming more familiar with him after having had zero previous experience before yesterday.

"I wish we had more time." Myron growled when they broke apart for air. "I want you so much."

Harry's legs clamped around Myron's waist, his leg muscles aching with the combination of the girth of Myron's thick waist and his short legs, but he didn't care as he used his hands in Myron's hair to line their mouths up again, tilting his head to the side so their noses didn't get in the way and he nibbled at Myron's lips, moving his own as he kissed Myron slowly, teasing his mouth open so that he could push his tongue back into that soft, wet mouth and taste Myron. He couldn't get enough of Myron.

A huge palm cupped the side of his head, thick fingers cradling the back of his skull so they could twist in his hair and force his head at a sharper angle to create a deeper kiss and Harry couldn't stop the weak, almost tortured moan that sounded from the back of his throat as his arms and legs tensed uncontrollably, getting him a spine tingling growl from Myron that vibrated inside his mouth.

"Fuck the Elders." Myron snarled, the first time Harry had ever heard him being so disrespectful to the Elders, who he obviously held in high regard at any other time.

"I'd rather you fuck me." Harry said back softly, his lips a mere hairsbreadth away from Myron's.

Removed Scene!

Harry was subject to checks and tests and sniffing, a hell of a lot of sniffing, when they woke up and took down the wards, opening the bedroom door and then wandering down, following their ravaged bellies that were roaring for food to the kitchen.

Five Elders, six mated guards with guns and Alexander Maddison greeted them when they made it to the kitchen. Myron was immediately seized by a guard, forced to his knees with his hands held behind his back, the muzzle of a rifle held at the base of his neck, right on his spine by another guard. One shot was all it would take to kill Myron with the gun pressed to his spine; it would all but decapitate him.

"What the hell are you doing?!" Harry screamed in a harsh whisper as loudly as he could, which as he had lost his voice, wasn't very loud or intimidating as he rushed to Myron.

Elder Midate turned quickly and scooped Harry from the floor with an arm around his waist, checking him over and sniffing at him, even as Harry kicked out.

"What are you doing?!" Harry tried to shout again, stressing his voice until it almost squeaked.

"I'm just checking you for injuries Harry." The Elder said softly as he placed Harry back on the floor, but held him around the shoulders, blocking him from getting to Myron.

Harry however, wasn't interested in his Elder Chaperone; he was interested in what the one Elder was murmuring to Myron, he couldn't hear them clearly.

"What is he saying?" He squeaked out, his voice an angry, strained whisper as he tried to get around Elder Midate to Myron.

"Leave Elder Vipond to speak to the younger Mister Maddison, Harry. Come and speak to me." Elder Midate tugged him, protesting with his lost voice, digging his heels in, but Elder Midate was huge, strong and a much more powerful man and he tugged Harry easily into the living room, despite Harry fighting every step of the way.

"Let go of me!" Harry wheezed angrily.

"Just sit down for a moment and tell us what happened Harry, this is incredibly important and we need you to be very, brutally honest."

"You're a moron! Is that brutal enough?!" Harry forced out of his abused throat.

Elder Midate sighed and indicated the severe looking man behind him. "This is Elder Sesto Messana, Harry."

"I would like to speak to you about what has transpired here." The Elder said in perfectly pronounced, overly eloquent English, but he still had a hint of an Italian accent that he seemed determined to bury.

"Don't you dare hurt Myron!" Harry hissed, glaring.

"Please sit down Harry, we won't kill anyone in the kitchen of their own home, they'll be taken to the Counsel Halls to be formally judged and charged. The gun is merely for protection and to prevent anyone from losing their tempers." Elder Midate assured him.

"How do I know he's still out there?!" Harry demanded. "How do I know if you haven't already taken him away as soon as I was out of the room?!"

"Elder Kirrian, Harry wishes to know that Myron Maddison is still in the kitchen." Elder Midate called out loudly.

"I'm still here, Harry." Myron grunted back. He sounded angry. No, he sounded absolutely fucking pissed and Harry grinned. Nothing good for these Elders would come from his mate being that angry, he knew that even after such a short amount of time.

He sat carefully on the dragonhide settee and shifted minimally to prevent any pain in his bum or back and he glared at both the Elders who were looking at him, scrutinising him really.

"What do you want to know?" He snapped when they just continued to look him over, going back regularly to the, very high, love bite on his neck that would only be hidden if he wore a turtle neck or a scarf, both of which would be impractical in the warmth of May, not that he had any desire to hide Myron's love bites.

"Start with yesterday night, Harry. I know your throat must be feeling raw and painful, but this is incredibly important." Elder Midate told him seriously as he sat in the matching dragonhide armchair adjacent to him.

"Myron knocked out the bastard who…"

"No vulgar language, please." Elder Sesto Messana cut in smoothly, his cultured voice making Harry want to punch his teeth down the back of his throat.

"Fine." Harry hissed angrily. "Myron knocked out the disgusting pig that thought he could grope, molest and rape me and he looked after me."

"I hardly think sequestering you away in his bedroom can be classified as 'taking care of you'."

Harry really, seriously, was considering hitting Elder Messana. Hard, very, very hard.

"He took me to the bar and got me some ice for my wrist!" Harry bit out, showing them the thick, dark bruise around his left wrist. "Elder Trintus saw us and Alexander did, the bar staff would likely remember us too, we sat there for a while, talking."

Elder Midate took his wrist gently and probed at it. He nodded. "This will heal soon enough; it's not broken or sprained, just bruised. What happened next? Elder Trintus came to find me after he saw how close you and Myron were getting and when we went back to the bar to find you, you had both gone."

"Myron took me to some fancy restaurant…the Garnet Swan or something?" Harry said.

"So he didn't bring you straight here?"

Harry shook his head. "We went to the restaurant first."

"Then where did you go after that?"

"Here."

"To where he proceeded to have sexual relations with you." Elder Messana said.

Harry narrowed his eyes, he got the feeling he was being led into a trap. He didn't like it.

"You say too many words." Harry said as he glared at the Elder. "We came here and we fucked. Several times, including once on the front lawn because we couldn't wait even the short amount of time it would have taken to unlock the front door and get up to the bedroom. It was the fucking this morning though that made me lose my voice, Myron stole it from me."

Harry very much enjoyed the scandalised, horrified look on Elder Messana's face. Elder Midate coughed to hide a laugh and Harry gave him a smug smile. He definitely liked Elder Jacob Midate more than Elder Sesto Messana.

"Listen to me carefully, Myron and I bonded in the meeting halls, while he was being so caring and thoughtful towards me, he was so very gentle as he was tending to my wrist. I didn't know what I was feeling then, I still can't say what I was feeling or thinking in a way that anyone else would understand, but I can't describe the longing I felt, the trust, the utter, all-encompassing need to just have him and him alone. I've never felt that way before and I had to touch him, smell him, I wanted to hold him, to kiss him…I just needed him, all of him in any way I could get him. It's difficult to explain, but I felt connected to him, drawn to him."

"You're describing a premature bond that is in its formative stage." Elder Midate nodded. "How do you feel about him today Harry, this morning?"

Harry thought about that question seriously. "I want him…I need him. I don't want to be more than a few feet away from him at any one moment. Just sitting here when I know he's in the next room is agonising, I just want to be near him." He shook his head. "I don't know how to explain what I'm feeling, I just want him."

"You've bonded fully with him." Elder Midate said with a sigh.

"Why is that a bad thing? I was exposed to all those dominants last night and I liked Myron more than them, why is that a problem?"

"You're required to have a meeting." Elder Messana told him pompously. "It is one of the mating rules."

"Fuck your ridiculous rules! Technically it was a meeting." Harry said with a rough, painful sounding growl. "It even had unmated dominant Drackens in attendance. I only liked Myron, out of all of those dominants in that hall, it was only Myron I was drawn to; if people have a problem with that then it's fucking tough! I am not some prize to be raffled off, I don't care if some dominant in the far corner of the world gets upset because he didn't bother going to the social meeting and we never met. I like Myron, I want him, if you don't like that then you can fuck off too, because I don't care, you have no opinion when it comes to choosing my life partner."

"I've heard enough." Elder Midate nodded. "Come on; let's get you a glass of water for your throat, Harry."

Harry was led into the kitchen and he eagerly craned his head to look for Myron, who was sat at the kitchen table with the other Elder he didn't know. Elder Vipond. The gun was no longer at the back of his neck, there were no guns out in the open, but the guards with the guns were still there and they still had their hands inside their light jackets, touching those horrid guns.

"Myron says that he courted Harry, no matter how briefly, before they arrived at his home." The Elder said as soon as he saw them enter the kitchen.

Harry opened his mouth, but Elder Midate shoved his hand over it and squeezed Harry's nose between his thumb and the side of his index finger. Harry looked at him with eyes that were spitting fire.

"Harry says the same." Elder Midate told Elder Vipond. "Myron took Harry to the Garnet Swan."

"Myron says the same."

Harry understood then what was happening, they were comparing their stories to see if they matched or not, the bastards.

"Myron then said that he brought Harry here where he proceeded to have sexual intercourse with him several times over the course of the night and once more this morning, the reason why we couldn't get into the bedroom when we first arrived."

"In Harry's own words they both came home and they fucked several times, including once out on the front lawn because they just couldn't wait the short amount of time it would have taken them to go up to the bedroom, though we were assured that it was the session this morning where Harry lost his voice."

Harry wanted to die, he was sure that he would die of embarrassment. He wanted the floor to open up and swallow him completely whole so that this humiliating, mortifying experience would end.

Alexander laughed first and Elder Vipond chuckled. Elder Messana looked like he'd swallowed a bottle of concentrated lemon juice his face was that pinched, which made Harry grin, even though his cheeks were on fire.

"Harry assures me that, though he didn't understand what he was feeling, that he did feel a longing for Myron that he didn't feel for any other dominant in the meeting halls, he felt drawn to Myron and he wanted him."

"A child's lust is not a basis…"

"You were stood with me, Elder." Elder Midate cut right in. "You heard how Harry described his thoughts and feelings at the time he was with Myron in the meeting halls, do you deny that they sound just like a premature bonding process?"

Elder Messana said nothing.

"Our priority will always be the safety and the protection of the submissive, Elder Messana." Elder Vipond insisted. "But there is a line that we have no right to cross, where if we do, we will go from protection to needlessly cruel. The methods of this bonding are…unorthodox, certainly, but do we now break apart a bonded couple just for the sake of a bit of rushed physical intimacy?"

"You just try to keep me from him." Harry growled, glaring at the Elder who looked back at him with the stunned shock that only came from someone doing something completely and utterly unexpected.

"I don't believe you understand who I am, which can be forgiven as you were lost to us for so long and know little about us and your own heritage. I am Anthanaric Vipond, Head of the Elders of the Dracken Counsel."

"I don't care who you are! This is my life, my future family and my potential mate that you are thinking of taking away from me! Talking about ruining the budding relationship between us so casually, as if it's of no consequence to you! You say you're here for the protection of the submissives, yet you're stood there discussing taking away the one man that I actually feel a connection to, but that's alright though isn't it? It's not your life you're ruining; it doesn't actually affect you at all does it? No! It's my life you're fucking around with! You don't get to tell me who or what I can do, if I want Myron and he wants me, then what the hell is the problem?!"

"Well, I certainly don't believe the boy was at all coerced or forced into this bonding, regardless of age or how long he's known about his Dracken heritage." Elder Kirrian said simply.

"Of course I wasn't! Dear fucking Merlin, is this going to happen every time I want sex?" He burst out, his voice still missing, making his outburst more humorous than serious.

Elder Midate snorted and Alexander muffled a burst of laughter with a hand.

"We were worried, Harry." Elder Vipond told him with a smile. "This time it was nothing, but sometimes dominants do force submissives and they do rape and then blackmail them to keep their mouths shut, we can't take the chance of that happening, we had to check even if we do think that there is no basis for any suspicions, just on the off chance that a submissive is being abused and hurt. I did notice your wrist when I first saw you."

"Some idiot thought that he could drag me around by my wrist, trying to touch me and kiss me as he tried to pull me out of the meeting halls for who knows what reason. Myron knocked him out for me when he realised what was happening."

"Is that how you met him?"

Harry smiled. "Yes, but I saw him once before that, when I punched his brother in the face for the second time for saying lewd things about me."

"I really, really like you." Elder Kirrian cackled.

"Well, I don't think Harry has been at all coerced or pressured." Elder Vipond said authoritatively. "You have balls of solid steel, I'll give you that much."

"They feel like it." Harry mumbled under his breath. Only Elder Midate heard him and he almost choked himself laughing.

"Your Headmaster is waiting for…"

"I don't have to be back in school until tonight!" Harry cut in, feeling panicked that he would be taken away from Myron so soon after this catastrophe had been dealt with.

"He is waiting for your arrival today, though he expects you back before dinner."

Harry breathed deeply and calmed his racing heart.

"Perhaps it isn't going to be the best idea to separate them before they have mated." Elder Trintus, who had remained mostly silent up until that point, said concernedly.

"I could easily take the time off of work to prevent the anxiety of being apart from one another with a new bond. Headmaster Dumbledore would undoubtedly prevent any and all behaviour he believes is inappropriate with me at the school."

"Of course he would, he sees me as a Grandson after everything." Harry said with a shrug.

"I don't think letting you into a school with a sixteen year old boy is appropriate." Elder Messana said.

"You shut up!" Harry said as loudly as he could, which hurt the back of his throat, but he didn't care.

Myron stood then and when no one stopped him he came to Harry and wrapped an arm around him. The effect was almost immediate as all the tension in Harry drained away as he inhaled Myron's scent deeply, he rested on Myron and wrapped his arms around his waist and nothing else mattered as Myron held him back tightly.

"They've definitely bonded, and strongly too."

"We have already established that; now please go away, I very much want to go back upstairs with Myron." Harry told them with a look that got them moving quickly. It was a wide eyed, very lusty look and it had them flustered and saying hurried goodbyes in next to no time.

"I thought they'd never leave." Myron rumbled deeply. "Now what's this about getting us back upstairs?"

"Only if you're up to it, I wouldn't want to tire you out." Harry laughed.

"Yet you're the one with no voice."

"That doesn't mean I'm not ready for round eight." Harry said with a grin as he pressed his hardening cock against Myron's solid thigh.

Harry found himself being carried up the stairs in less than half a heartbeat, his arms wrapped tight around Myron and his legs around his waist. He was very, very glad that the Elders weren't going to try to keep them apart, he would have hated going against the Counsel so soon after finding out he was a Dracken, but no matter how much he hated the thought of it, he would have done it, for Myron he would have fought until his very last breath.

The next few weeks were a torturous hell. Harry had been given his own rooms, in which Myron stayed all day and night, while Harry was forced to attend lessons he really, really didn't want to bother with.

Hermione had tried to sidle closer to him, but he ignored her. It had been over a year since he had last spoken to her, he didn't want to start now just because she was all interested in the fifty year old man he brought to meals with him. That ship had well and truly sailed.

Everyone was interested and concerned over the fact that Harry was with Myron, but Harry ignored them and Dumbledore said he was perfectly able to withstand the jibes in the papers over his ineptitude as a Headmaster for allowing a sixteen year old student to have a relationship with a fifty-two year old man within the school.

Despite the hissed comments by the students and the articles in the newspapers, Harry couldn't remember ever being so happy, of course Myron was stern and a little strict, but he was so passionate, always greeting him with a searing kiss after he got back to their rooms after his lessons, holding and kissing him randomly throughout the day and of course the sex was just phenomenal, both in the night before they went to sleep and when Myron woke him up at six in the morning with a blow job only to fuck him and make him scream himself hoarse before they went down to breakfast. He loved it.

Though the knowledge that he had to have an actual mate meeting once his first heat period was over with did put a damper on things, he had hoped with all his heart that he'd only need Myron, but unfortunately he needed a second mate as well and it was driving all sorts of horror scenarios in his head and bringing out the uncertain, slightly fearful, little boy that was hiding inside of him.

"I'll be right there with you." Myron insisted as he caught sight of Harry's face, sitting down next to his young mate and throwing an arm around him, pulling him to rest against his muscled bulk.

"I know, but what if I don't like any of them? Or if I do like one but he doesn't like me back?"

Myron sighed heavily. They'd been through this several times before and he just had no idea how to reassure Harry that everything was going to be alright.

"If you don't like any of them then you'll pick the one you like the most and we'll deal with it and I've told you before, there is absolutely no way that any of the dominants coming to this meeting will be anything short of completely ravenous to get to you. Elder Midate told you as such, which is why your meeting will be heavily guarded."

"I know, I just can't help worrying." Harry said nervously as he nibbled on his bottom lip.

"Stop that, you'll make it bleed again." Myron told him, easing his tortured lip out from between his teeth and then bent to kiss it softly.

"When will my breeding cycle start?" Harry asked curiously.

"It could be any day now or as far away as another several months; your breeding cycle is unique to you. Though you will be going on a heat period to bond me fully to yourself, that's normal and you may get pregnant from it."

Harry looked down at his tiny, concaved belly and Myron grimaced at it. He hated how very thin and bony Harry was, it didn't make him any more or any less attractive in his eyes, but it did make Myron wonder how Harry might look pregnant or if Harry would even be able to carry a baby to full term. His mate was not at a healthy weight for his age or size and he swore to Merlin that he would rectify that, even if it was just giving Harry an extra portion at every meal, because Merlin knew his mate did eat and he ate well, he just didn't gain any weight.

"It will be your baby, won't it?" Harry asked. "I'll already be pregnant with your baby when I need to have the meeting for a second mate, won't I?"

"You could be, but if you're not then that's fine." Myron murmured, though he hid exactly how much he wanted Harry to be pregnant with a baby that would assuredly be his, not a fifty-fifty chance between him and whoever Harry chose as a grounding mate. Harry didn't need to know that though.

"I want to have your baby though." Harry said softly.

"You will, even if the first several babies aren't mine by blood, one day, I will get you pregnant and you will carry and birth my baby."

Harry smiled at that and rested against him, his hands falling from where he'd been petting his own stomach and his young mate sighed wistfully.

"I've always wanted a family. When I came into my inheritance, I was so scared, I didn't know what was happening or even what I was, but the thought of having babies calmed me right down, until I craved it, I craved pregnancy and it was all I wanted. Then I met you and…well that craving went away. I craved you instead and I know now that that utter need for pregnancy went away because you will get me pregnant, I know that and my Dracken knows that, I don't need to crave it because I know it'll happen, does that make sense?"

"It does." Myron nodded. "Why do you need to crave something that's an assured inevitability?"

"Exactly!" Harry said, sitting up excitedly with that infectious grin.

Myron chuckled darkly and pulled Harry back down to rest on his body, he liked the feeling of having Harry rest on him.

Harry did him one better and sprawled over him, resting his upper body in his lap and looking up at him through those huge, gorgeous eyes that he could stare into for absolutely hours on end.

"Why do Drackens crave pregnancy and babies so much, Myron? Does anyone know?"

Myron lowered a hand and petted Harry's wild, unruly hair gently, combing it through his fingers as he pondered the question posed to him.

"It's likely because our numbers are so low." He said consideringly. "We number only three hundred or so and that's worldwide, the craving for children is a deep rooted need to boost numbers by having as many children as possible."

"But if every Dracken mateship has a hundred babies, why is the urge still a part of us? Why hasn't it been phased out?"

"Not every baby we have will be a Dracken, Harry."

"Oh. What's the percentage on average?"

"It differs from mateship to mateship. I've known mateships to have two hundred children and only several have been Drackens, I have a friend who's got sixty-eight children and none of them are Drackens and there's one mateship who currently have twenty-three children and fourteen of them are Drackens. The Dracken genes choose the baby, much like a wand chooses its master, but no one knows why or what it looks for or how it even tells which baby to choose."

"It seems like a lot of luck and happenstance to me." Harry said with a frown, those perfectly plump, kissable lips pouted up at him and Myron threw his head back. He felt like a damned teenager again with Harry around.

"It likely is luck and happenstance, all we know is that the babies chosen show the traits wanted and needed to support a Dracken mentality."

"But don't people change when they grow older? Lifestyle and events happen after the Dracken genes have chosen someone that could affect the traits needed to be a Dracken or to support the mentality or whatever."

"Which is why even though we're essentially handpicked by the genes themselves, we still have rotten, selfish Drackens who lie, cheat, murder and rape. We may have been born as perfect Dracken material, but circumstances and lifestyle after we're born all count as well, even things out of our control such as disasters and tragedies can change us from what we were originally meant to be."

Harry frowned harder, those pouted lips pushed out further and the thin, small nose scrunched up adorably.

"But if we change so much through disasters happening, then what if we no longer have the traits needed to support a Dracken mentality? Say for example a woman was abused as a child, violated and taken against her will and then she comes into her Dracken inheritance, why would she then want to have children of her own with a near stranger?"

Myron sighed. "You do know that if a submissive, male or female, or a female dominant, has sex with a non-Dracken then they will be completely barren, don't you? Even if they were forced or didn't know."

"Elder Midate told me, but like you said, Drackens are capable of rape too."

"The Dracken mentality would push our hypothetical woman to have children of her own, even if she didn't want to, but the trauma of that and what she went through if she hadn't gotten therapy afterwards would likely mean that her mind would snap and she would kill her dominant mate, her children and likely herself too. It's why we carefully monitor any Dracken who has been through such a thing."

Harry nibbled on his lip and averted his gaze and Myron narrowed his eyes on him.

"Harry, were you abused as a child?" He asked, his quick mind circling around how thin and bony Harry was despite how much he'd seen Harry eat. His stomach had turned to liquid just thinking of Harry being hurt, frightened or in any way abused.

"I…" Harry coloured and Myron felt a fierce, bone deep rage well up inside of him and he yanked Harry up to his chest to cradle him fully in his arms.

"Who did this to you?" He demanded furiously, his voice bass deep and gravelly in his rage.

Harry shook his head. "It doesn't matter; it's over now, Myron."

"It's not over until they're dead!"

"I don't want them dead!" Harry told him angrily. "Do you think I want my lover, my mate, the Father to my soon to be children to be a cold blooded murderer?! Do you?! Whatever the fuck they did to me, however they treated me, it's in the past. I do not want them murdered and I do not want you to become a murderer over them. I'm stronger that that Myron. I don't need them dead; I just need you to still love me."

"Of course I do. I wouldn't stop loving you for something so far out of your control!" Myron hissed.

Harry smiled then and it took the anger from Myron's heart. "That's all I need Myron. I need to be loved. What happened, happened. Killing them won't change that, it still happened. Just love me."

"Always." Myron declared strongly and sincerely as he cradled Harry gently, pulling him up to kiss him deeply.

"What if I go onto heat while I'm in a lesson?" Harry asked worriedly when they broke apart.

Myron shook his head and he couldn't help but laugh. "Then your classmates had better get the hell out of my way because I'll be mating you over your desk."

"My uniform might be a problem." Harry said with glazed eyes.

Myron shook his head. "I'd tear it from your body; a few scraps of fabric will not keep me from sinking into your luscious body."

Myron watched as those green eyes dilated and the pupil expanded to push that gorgeous dark green iris to an outer ring around the blown pupil. Myron's body reacted instantly to Harry's desire and he hardened under Harry's body.

Harry, who felt him harden, sighed softly, the tip of his tongue peeking out to wet his lips as his breathing picked up a faster pace.

"You're so beautiful." Myron told him in a strangled voice as he scooped Harry up and kissed him as he moved his way through their living room and into their bedroom, climbing the stairs to get to the bed that was on a small platform near the vaulted ceiling of their bedroom, underneath a huge skylight.

Myron crawled onto the bed, still kissing Harry passionately and furiously, moving his mouth over Harry's, thrusting his tongue into his mouth and groaning as Harry's flicked, licked and stroked over his invading tongue, welcoming it into his mouth as he spread his body on the bed, letting Myron do anything and everything he wanted to him.

He loved that about Harry, he let him be a dominant without making himself a doormat and he submitted to him without making Myron feel like he was either taking advantage, like he was under pressure to perform or like he was the only one interested in sex, Harry was very much a willing and very enthusiastic bed partner, submissive or not. Everything was so simple and easy with Harry. It was like he had only started living when Harry had come into his life.

Harry's heat hit him suddenly, in the middle of the night. One minute he had been fast asleep, the next his eyes had snapped open and he was fever hot, wriggling around on the bed and panting as his body sweated furiously. He wriggled out of his clothes and tossed them aside, flipping onto his belly and then back onto his back and then onto his belly again as he realised he wasn't comfortable in any position he tried.

Myron was sleeping next to him, on his side and facing away from him, but Harry could hear him inhaling deeply in his sleep, his Dracken side could smell his heat pheromones. He would be awake soon, but it wouldn't be soon enough, Harry needed him right now!

Removed Scene!

Harry blinked open his eyes and blearily looked around. He was lying in his bed, on clean, crisp sheets and his body felt scrubbed clean. He was sore though, oh hell was he sore.

He went to sit up, only for pain to rip through his body and he grunted and fell back to the mattress. His lower body felt like it had been crushed under a great weight and everything below his hips wasn't working, but he really, seriously needed to take a piss or he was going to wet the bed.

"Myron!" He croaked out in a hoarse, strained whisper. "Myron!"

He tried to wet his mouth, swallowing to try to dampen his bone dry throat as he tried to get himself up but his spine was just a shaft of burning agony right down his back and into his arse and he groaned. Where the hell was his mate when he needed him?

He managed to force himself up and he hobbled down the stairs, each step a new, fresh, burning agony on his already taxed body and he finally made it to the bathroom and he had to sit down on the toilet to empty his bladder as his legs just could not support him upright any longer and he all but fell into the sink as he washed his hands. He was going to find Myron and then kill him.

He made it to the living room to find Myron missing and he ignored the clenching in his chest as his heart missed several beats and he lay on the settee and he waited. Myron would come home, they loved one another too deeply for him not to and when he did, if he didn't have a good excuse for leaving him like this, anything short of his Mother dying or a family emergency, then Harry was going to force himself up off of this settee and he would kill him.

He dozed lightly, waking up suddenly with every small movement as it sent a lance of pain through his body and Harry groaned. He knew Myron was a big man, but he hadn't realised exactly how much Myron had been holding back when they had had sex before. Now he knew.

Harry blinked awake when the portrait door to their rooms opened and he looked at Myron, who was staring back at him.

"I didn't think you'd be awake so soon." Myron said as he dumped something that was wrapped up in what looked to be a bed sheet and he came to hunch in front of him. "How do you feel?"

"Sore, tired still and I need a drink, but I can't move."

Myron bent forward, brushed his hair out of his face and kissed him before he stood up quickly and moved to the kitchenette to get him a glass of water, but he boiled the kettle while he was there to make tea and coffee before he came back and handed Harry the water, supporting him upright and helping him sip at the cool fluid.

"Where did you go?" Harry asked as he pushed the glass away, happy that his voice sounded better now that his raw throat had been soothed.

"I didn't expect you to wake up so quickly, so I went to the Forbidden Forest and I caught a stag for you. I would have caught something bigger and more dangerous, but I didn't want to go too far away from you."

Harry smiled, that was a good enough reason for him and with Myron's help, he got onto the floor and he was devouring a skinned stag happily and with relish, he hadn't realised how very hungry he'd been when he'd woken up, but now everything fell to the wayside in favour of eating until he was absolutely stuffed.

He fell back happily and rubbed at his distended stomach, groaning as the swell of it hurt pleasantly.

"I hope that in a few months your belly looks like this from you carrying my baby and not just from me feeding you."

Harry smiled. "Did I have a ten day heat period?"

Myron nodded. "But remember I told you that you would, six days is non-fertile, ten days is fertile or a bonding heat. This was a bonding heat, so you may or may not be pregnant."

"I hope I am." Harry said softly. "I want your baby."

Myron smirked at him and pulled him into his arms and they cuddled right there on the floor, Harry still completely naked.

They spent the day just recovering, Harry couldn't even think of the nine days of lessons he'd missed, though he did know that the school had a rumour of his 'illness' spreading through it when Dumbledore had told McGonagall about his illness within earshot of a group of Hufflepuff fifth years. It had been through the whole school by dinnertime the next night.

"Are you in any pain? I owl ordered some potions in preparation, if it's at all intolerable, tell me and you can swallow some potions for it."

"It's not intolerable." Harry said softly. "When I woke up it was a little…surprising I think is the word I want, I wasn't expecting it, then I didn't really know what to expect that being my first heat period after all, but I'm not sure if it was pain, soreness or just recovering from the heat period that left me unable to move properly, though my lower spine feels like it's been jackhammered."

Myron shook his head at Harry's description and he went to get the potions regardless. Harry swallowed the two of them without complaint, drained his honey tea to take away the vile taste and he just relaxed, his tensed muscles melted, his pain vanished and the furrows in his forehead eased away.

"Better?" Myron asked as Harry went boneless with a happy groan, spreading himself out on the settee.

"Much. I didn't even know I had that much tension in me."

"I could see it." Myron told him with a sigh as he took Harry's cup and went back to the kitchenette and remade some more tea for Harry and another mug of coffee for himself.

"You're the best." Harry declared as he accepted the cup and took a scalding hot gulp, not even wincing, before he calmly sipped at it.

Myron had no idea how Harry drank the watery, delicate tea. He needed something with more substance, more flavour, which is why he drank strong, black coffee. He always did prefer bitter tastes to sweeter things.

He eased Harry up off of his back and sat down before laying Harry's head and shoulders into his lap, he stroked Harry's unruly hair with one hand, his other holding the mug of coffee that he sipped on every now and then as Harry dozed on him.

He couldn't believe how much his life had changed in such a small amount of time, all because he had taken a chance on a young boy who had looked at him like he was the most gorgeous man in the world.

He pressed his hand to the top of Harry's head and smiled down at his napping mate, who was as adorable in sleep as he was when he was awake, only when he was asleep, Harry looked more at peace, less worried as his features smoothed out and everything relaxed, but when he was asleep, Myron couldn't see that gorgeous smile that lit up his face and made those stunning eyes sparkle like stars and he did so love seeing Harry's smile and his beautiful eyes.

"I can feel you staring." Harry said sleepily, his face still relaxed and his voice sleepy.

"Sorry love, I can't help it sometimes."

Harry smiled in his lap then. "I woke up because you stopped playing with my hair."

Myron smirked and started moving his fingers through the soft, silky tufts of hair once more; he knew a hint when he heard one.

Harry moaned softly and wiggled in his lap to get more comfortable.

"That feels so good." He praised and Myron soaked it up, he was learning every day about Harry's likes and dislikes, about what made him feel good and what made him flinch or grimace and he hoped that Harry was learning the same things about him. He loved Harry, he loved his mate, but he wanted to be loved by his mate in return.

The exams were hard on them both, Myron was pushing him to always revise, always testing him and pointing out how he could make his answers better, fuller and he understood that Myron wanted him to do well for himself, but hell did Harry just want to fucking hit him sometimes.

Thankfully Myron had had to go into work to sort out a major deal for the company he had taken over from his Father, Alexander, twenty-five years ago when Alexander had wanted to retire and had taught Myron the running's and ins and outs of the business. Myron was proud that he'd managed to keep the company afloat at just twenty-six years old and that over the years it had grown and thrived with him at the head. Alexander was proud of him too from what he gathered and Harry was proud of his mate too, he revelled in his mate's successes.

But with Myron gone he could just take a day for himself and relax a bit. He was still revising, but without Myron hanging over his shoulder, watching him, prodding him and testing him, but the silence of the room was a bit disheartening and stifling, so he went to the study session that was going on in the Great Hall. It was quiet, but not as quiet and reverently hushed as the library would have been, but he just didn't know where to sit, even with the group of his Gryffindor housemates sat at one table.

He thought about just sitting on his own as it was the silence he didn't want to deal with, he didn't necessarily want any company, but before he could sit down on the bench with a large gap at the table between groups of studying students, he heard his name called out over the quiet conversations and muted chatting.

"Harry! Over here!"

He looked over to the call and smiled at Ginny and he made his way over to her, she was sat beside the group of his year mates, who all turned to look at him as Ginny drew attention to him and he was relieved to see them smiling.

"How are you? I barely see you anymore you dope." Ginny greeted, hugging him and yanking him down by the collar of his tee-shirt to give a wet, sloppy kiss to his cheek.

She was only an inch or so shorter than he was, she hadn't needed to pull him down anywhere, but it did make him laugh, which he supposed was her intention.

"Then again, if I had a boyfriend as gorgeous as yours then there is no way I would be leaving those little rooms you share with him. He is just gorgeous, so handsome, and those muscles! Is it true that he's really the business tycoon Myron Maddison?"

Harry's head reeled from the rapid fire questions and conversation as he sat down beside Neville, across from Seamus and Dean.

"Yes, that's him." Harry agreed when Ginny looked at him expectantly.

"It's also true that he's fifty-two. Everyone knows the Maddison family." Ron quipped from a bit further down the table.

"Yes, that's true too." Harry said, ignoring the tone that had been used and instead answered calmly as he flipped open his Herbology revision. "Can you help me with this Neville? You're amazing at Herbology and I just can't get my head around it. How the hell do I know what soil a bedding Valerian needs? Can't you just shove it in any sort of soil?"

Neville looked aghast so Harry assumed that no; you could not shove the Valerian plant in any old soil.

Harry batted away questions about his love life, about Myron, about how they had met, when they had met, when they had started being romantically involved with one another by focusing on his revision and with Neville's expert help he was understanding a little more about his Herbology work.

"Come on Harry, mate. You have to admit it's a little strange." Seamus tried to coax eagerly.

"It's no one's business but Harry's." Neville defended him hotly. "He came down here to revise in peace with his friends, for the first time since I don't even know when, leave him alone or you're just going to make him hole himself back up on his own."

Harry smiled at Neville and subtly squeezed his knee under the table in thanks.

"It is strange." Harry admitted. "But only if you don't know me. I…it was easy to fall for Myron. I've read all the articles in the Daily Prophet, it's not because he's older, though that is attractive to me I guess, it's not that he's powerful or this hugely successful businessman, or anything stupid like that that I've seen, I fell for him because he saw me, just me. He liked the person I am, not the built up mask that stories and the media have made me, he didn't once see the Boy-Who-Lived, he didn't see the defeater of Voldemort, he saw me. He looked past all those stories and tales to see who I was underneath. Yes I defeated Voldemort, I survived a horrible tragedy at an early age when I wasn't supposed to, but I'm still just a sixteen year old who's shitting himself over these damned exams, just like the lot of you."

"Not like me." Dean said with a shake of his head and Harry felt queasy, if his year mates, boys he'd grown with, had lessons with, laughed, joked and had fun with, people he counted as his friends didn't even see him as like them… "Sorry Harry." Dean continued. "I hate to tell you this but you and Neville are the only ones in the school who are still sixteen in our year, well you, Neville and Malfoy, but no one cares about him, but out of those, you're the baby of us."

"By one day!" Harry complained, his heart lifted as he realised that Dean had been teasing him.

"Doesn't matter." Neville said with a grin as he caught onto the teasing. "I'm still a whole day older than you are, that makes you the youngest of our year."

Harry huffed and rolled his eyes. "Remind me why I bothered coming down here to be subjected to this?"

"You love us really." Seamus said with a grin. "And we love you, more for the fact that you flattened Ravenclaw for us last month and won Gryffindor the Quidditch cup again."

Harry chuckled at that. That match had been just a week after he'd met Myron and he'd flown furiously, ridden his broom harder than hard and any and all feelings that had been lingering in the deep recesses of his mind had been dealt with while he was in the air, pushing himself as fast and as hard as he possibly could to win that match, knowing that Myron was watching from the teacher's stand where he was sat with Dumbledore, primitively wanting to impress his mate, to show that he wasn't useless and when he had caught the snitch and landed, hefting the Quidditch cup over his head as his team surrounded him in buoyant joy, he had felt nothing but peace.

"Myron's wonderful." Harry said softly. "He looks after me and cares for me. Not like a Father either." Harry said as Seamus opened his mouth. "I don't need a Father, despite what the papers claim. I needed a lover, someone who would love me and regardless of age, gender, appearance or anything else, I was always going to fall for someone who could love me for who I am, not what people expect me to be. Myron did that, he still does. I'm just Harry to him and I adore him for it. He does care for me and look after me, but I do the same for him. That's what love it, that's what an equal partnership means, he doesn't expect anything of me, he just gives me what I need, he always knows what I need and I don't expect anything of him either. If you can't accept that I love him and that he loves me, not for some gimmick or publicity media side show, but because we generally care for and love one another, then I don't think I'll be able to stand being around you."

"I think it's sweet." Ginny said breaking the strained silence that was growing longer by the torturous minutes. "I know you Harry, you needed to be loved, you have a huge heart and if you've found someone to share that heart with, then I'm more than happy for you, regardless of Mister Maddison's age, status and gorgeous body."

Harry blushed and dropped his head to his hands with a groan as Ginny broke the tension too and Seamus, Dean and Neville laughed.

"I think it's wrong." Ron said from a foot down the table. "A fifty-two year old man has no business being with a sixteen year old still in school."

"Stop quoting shit you've read in the Daily Prophet!" Ginny snapped at her brother. "What's the matter; you can't formulate your own opinion so you have to go with whatever the papers are saying? Love is love Ron, with whoever you find it with, as Harry said age, gender or appearance doesn't matter, what counts is personality and connection and with an attitude like yours, not to mention the lack of personality and lack of a fully functioning brain; you're never going to find anyone to love you!"

"Hermione…"

"Hermione is so intelligent that she makes most Professors look like lackwits, when she opens her eyes and realises what a bitter, narrow minded little shit you are, she'll leave you behind in the dust of her brilliance and success. Did you actually expect a girl like her to be with a twit like you forever? When she's going to leave Hogwarts as one of the most acclaimed students ever, when she'll get a high paying, confidence boosting career and meets likeminded, intelligent men?" Harry demanded. "Hermione is going to rise to success and her own fame in whatever career she chooses. She'll be celebrated, nurtured and coveted; she's not going to have time for a person like you after she graduates."

"She hasn't even spoken to you in a year!" Ron burst out spitefully, his face as bright as his hair.

Harry shook his head. "She's tried to." He said which seemed to throw Ron for the loop as his aggressive stance deflated as he lowered his shoulders. "Nothing you or she can say now, can ever make up for the pain I felt at your abandonment when I needed you both the most. I was left alone to deal with what had happened, with what I'd done; do you have any idea how painful it was going through what I did completely alone? I struggled and I almost lost myself to depression during that summer, but I broke through and I clawed my way back up to my feet inch by tiny inch and I relearnt how to deal on my own without yours or Hermione's support." Harry shrugged a shoulder and sighed. "When Hermione first tried talking to me, I cut her off through anger and lingering hurt that I hadn't quite managed to get rid of, she didn't try again until after I found Myron and by then, I didn't need her or you. That ship has sailed, there is far too much water under the bridge now and I have Myron to support me, to love me and that's all I need now, I don't want to reconcile with either of you, not after how you both treated me when all I wanted was my friends."

"You still have us." Neville said firmly, with a nod to Seamus and Dean and then another to Ginny. "If you need us, just come and find us."

"I think Myron has that covered for me." Harry said with a smile. "But thanks Neville. If there's ever anything that I can't talk to Myron about, though I can't imagine there being anything at this moment, or for some reason there's something he can't understand, then I'll definitely take you up on that offer."

"Right, enough of this serious stuff. We're here to revise." Ginny said with a grimace. "There is no way I'm going to pass."

"You will." Harry said. "Don't sell yourself short; you're definitely an intelligent girl. One of the most intelligent here despite being a year younger than any of us."

"Young woman if you don't mind." Ginny said with a grin, flicking him with the end of her quill.

Harry settled and relaxed, there was no more talk of him and Myron, about their relationship or about anything that had been printed in the newspapers and magazines that were currently all over his love life.

It was nice, to be around people his own age and that wasn't a slight to Myron or his age, but sometimes he wanted to be a little childish and the light banter and teasing of his friends was just what he needed as they revised together, groaned and moaned about the amount of homework they had been set and complained and ribbed at one another about the exams and how they expected each other to do.

At least until it was almost time for dinner and then they packed all of their school work up and shoved their bags onto the floor by their feet and they sat, waiting for food as the rest of the school trickled in and the top table started filling out with more Professors than the two who had been overseeing the study session and helping students out where they could.

Hermione came into the Hall from the library and sat beside Ron before she noticed that Harry was amongst the group to her left and she just looked at him, opened her mouth to say something, before Ron caught her attention and dragged her into a heated conversation that sounded like several little fires were having water dripped over them. It wasn't the first time that Harry had likened Hermione to an angry goose in his mind.

Harry ate voraciously. His mood greatly improved from the afternoon with his friends and he was slightly surprised when Myron came and sat next to him as Harry was halfway through his second slice of treacle tart.

He immediately stopped talking to Ginny and he greeted Myron with a kiss. It wasn't tongue duelling passionate, but neither was it a chaste peck to the lips, but still Harry had to endure the ribbing and teasing and the hassling of his small group of friends.

"Knock it off." He said with a grin.

He checked on Myron, because they hadn't actually sat with anyone at mealtimes before, but Myron seemed fine enough, but Harry wasn't going to ignore him in favour of his year mates just because they might be uncomfortable with his relationship.

"How was the meeting?" He asked casually as he took another mouthful of tart.

"Intolerable." Myron retorted. "Almost painfully so. I got the deal signed and filed, but having to endure the verbal molestation of Gribbons and Fabrice all but subjugating themselves on the floor in front of me was something I'd rather not have to do again."

Harry chuckled and scooted closer to Myron, loving that his mate automatically wrapped an arm around his shoulders and started lightly drumming a tuneless rhythm on his ribcage with his fingers.

"Did you already eat?"

Myron grimaced. "Yes. Corporate dinners, another thing I could have done without. They're not too bad, nothing special, but still fit to eat, but my dining companions left a lot to be desired."

Harry couldn't stop the grin he tried to hide from Myron, but the squeeze to his side let him know that Myron had seen the grin. He pushed his plate away and stretched.

"I'm about done; do you want to head up to the rooms?"

Myron nodded and Harry stood. He picked up his school bag, which was taken straight from him and flung over Myron's shoulder and he rolled his eyes before turning to his friends.

"Thanks for all the revision help, I needed those tips and all the insight you gave to me. Especially with the Herbology, Nev."

"Hey, you helped me back with that Defence Against the Dark Arts homework; everyone knows you're the go to guy for Defence, especially after the DA, you're the unchallenged top of the year for that subject."

Harry actually blushed before he laughed it off. "We'll have to do this again sometime; I'll see you guys in lessons!"

Harry gave them a wave and then walked out of the Great Hall, ignoring the whispers, the staring and the pointing as Myron kept an arm around his shoulders and led them back up to their rooms.

"What's the DA?" He asked him curiously. "I've never heard of it before."

"Oh, it was a Defence club that Hermione set up last year with me as the teacher to help people learn how to defend themselves because that utter, evil bitch Umbridge was teaching us useless theory and not actually showing us how to do the spells in practice. I managed to instruct over thirty students in Defence, I got them understanding and casting the spells, I got them all to pass the exams that year with the highest marks of their year groups and I even taught several of my students how to cast a corporeal patronus, some of them as young as fourteen." He said proudly.

Myron looked at him with so much pride that Harry thought his heart would swell and burst with it as he preened under his mate's positive attention.

"I still can't believe you can cast, and could cast at thirteen, a corporeal patronus. I've seen it with my own eyes and I still can't believe it."

Harry grinned and if he strutted a little down the last corridor to their rooms, well who could blame him with the praise he was getting from his beloved dominant mate?

A/N: So what did you lovelies think? As I said on Facebook, this plot hasn't left me alone for months now, so I decided to write it and this is the result, so I hope you liked it as much as I do.

Part two won't be up now for at least a month to make the gap between part two and three seem shorter, as part three isn't even halfway written yet. This is planned to be four/five parts long only, but as each part is around 30,000 words long, it takes time to get it written and it'll end up as a very long ficlet.

The next part…the summer months and Harry has his meeting for his grounding mate.

But until then, I hope you enjoyed this first part, lovelies,

StarLight Massacre. X