Chapter 44 – Strike Two

It didn't take long for Harry and Hermione to set up a room for the two Delacour couples, and, by the time the group was half-way through dessert, the older Delacour couple had arrived with their escort. Once again, a loud and teary reunion was held as the clearly distraught mother hugged her daughter to her as tightly as she could. Harry believed it would be almost impossible to remove the girl from the woman's arms.

As they watched the reunion, Harry felt a small hand pull gently at his shirt. Looking down, he quickly knelt down to the young girl's height.

"What's up Sweetheart?"

The girl looked at the new adults and steeped closer to Harry.

"You haven't spoken to them," she whispered, "but they came in … Why?"

"Oh Sweetheart," he sighed, "You understand how there are many different Ancient Clans?"

The girl nodded.

"Some of the Ancient Clans are more connected to their children than others," he explained softly. "The two blonde ladies who look like Gabbie are Veela, just like her. Veela are very protective of their young; more than any other Ancient Clan. In fact, a Veela is unable to harm any child, no matter their background and their mates are the same."

"So they will never mistreat Gabbie for anything that happened to her, so they are allowed in?" she asked.

"No, Peggy, no," Harry soothed. "They are allowed in because they will not try to harm any of you. There are many Ancient Clan that are just as protective of their young as Veela but I would not allow any of them in an area with everyone without me being here to talk to them first and without at least 'Mione and Blaise to help with barriers if they over-react and try to bully their way to you."

"Really?" Peggy asked with wide, innocent eyes that, to Harry at least, indicated she had some wind nymph blood in her past heritage.

"Really," Harry assured her. "What has happened to make you think otherwise, Sweetheart?"

Peggy bit her lip indecisively before looking into Harry's eyes.

"The man who took me sold me to those people because mama and papa couldn't get the money, he wanted them to give him to return me," she replied, deciding to trust him. "I didn't know if they were allowed in because they paid money."

"Making parents pay to see their missing children again is something that only the very lousiest people in society will do," Harry stated gently but firmly. "It wouldn't matter to us if the next people that walked through those doors were dressed in rags or dressed in the finest silk. They will all be treated the same; Unless they were Veela, then they would be treated like the Delacour's."

"We would also do what we could to help if a family is obviously struggling," he said as Peggy hugged him for all she was worth. "We won't let any of you suffer more than you have too, even if it is just allowing the family a place to stay while work is looked for."

The serious moment was interrupted by Laynee – who hated seeing anyone upset – when she yelled out:

"GROUP HUG!"

Within seconds Harry and Peggy were bombarded on all sides by children of all ages, making the both of them laugh as some of the younger ones attempted to get between them for sloppy kisses on the cheek. Once the chaos had been calmed and Peggy returned to finish her dessert, Harry picked Laynee up and tossed her into the air.

"There you are, my mischievous little monkey!" He said as he softly tickled her sides.

"I'm not a monkey!" she giggled, "I'm a kitten!"

Harry used the shadows close by to make it appear as though she had monkey ears and tail.

"That's not what your ears and tail reveal," he said seriously.

Laynee blinked at him in confusion until Nicholas came and plucked her out of his arms.

"It is time we get back home so we can put this little monkey and her sister to bed. Willa has already taken the boys home with Blaise and said she will see you tomorrow."

"I look forward to it," Harry smiled. "The ears and tail will vanish in an hour or so."

Nicholas laughed as Laynee pouted at finally seeing the shadow tail she had been given.

"That isn't nice, my Harry," she pouted.

"But it suits you," Harry teased back, "and if you were a kitten, I wouldn't be able to give you back; I'd have to keep you."

Laynee giggled softly.

"You can't keep me! Mummy and Daddy and Carla will miss me!"

"They could come to visit," Harry continued to tease, "they wouldn't know how to properly clean a kitten. All that licking just to remove loose fluff: And what if you got a furball? Would they know how to help you get rid of it?"

Laynee giggled again and leant across the gap between them to give him a hug.

"You are a silly kitty, my Harry," she told him. "I'm not a real kitten, I'm a human! I don't have fluff to clean, only skin and hair."

Harry licked her cheek and pretended to be surprised.

"Well, so you are!" he exclaimed. "I guess it is best you go with your Papa then. Maybe next time you will be a kitty, and I can keep you."

"Only if you agree to take Carla and the boys," Nicolas stated.

"Deal," Harry responded without hesitation, "This weekend alright? You and Willa deserve a break."

Nicholas smiled thankfully at him and, after saying his goodbyes, walked into the fire-place to head home while Harry turned to help with putting the younger kids to bed.

~~~Ifanyoneisanessential,Mythoughtsarewithyou~~~

Harry sighed as he woke early to make breakfast. As much as he loved being around so many children and looking after them, he missed seeing Draco every day. With another sigh, he rose to begin his day: Starting with a shower where he planned that day's meals.

~~~Medalsforallfoodstaff~~~

An hour after breakfast – which consisted of fresh fruit, porridge, toast, tea, eggs and fresh milk – Harry knocked on the door to the rooms the Delacour family was inhabiting. He wasn't surprised when it was William who answered the door.

"You are here for the meeting? "he asked, blinking as though he hadn't got much sleep the previous night.

"I am," Harry replied, "I'm also going to be checking over each of you. I trust Lady Evangeline, she is who I apprenticed under for my Healer's Qualifications, but she taught me to never go by someone else's word."

"She sounds like a smart woman," William said as he led the teen to where the family was seated.

"The smartest I ever met" Harry agreed, following him.

"Did I have an appointment with you today?" Gabrielle asked once she saw Harry.

"Good morning, Gabbie!" Harry replied with an over-abundance of fake cheer, "I'm glad to see you are well this morning. As you and your family weren't at breakfast, I packed a basket for you to enjoy while we have our meeting."

Gabrielle blushed at the subtle reprimand at her behaviour.

"Good morning, Harry," she said apologetically. "May I introduce my family? The gentleman on the seat is my Papa, Pierre. Beside him is my Maman, Apolline. The gentleman beside you is my brother-in-law, William and my sister – his wife – who is just behind you, is Fleur. Maman, Papa, this is Harry. He has been looking after us since he rescued us and is a healer."

Madam Delacour looked Harry over and sniffed in derision.

"Rescued or re-captured?" she asked sarcastically.

"Due to the experience you have recently undergone," Harry stated coldly before anyone could say anything, "I will ignore what you are implying, and instead remind you that this is MY house and I have been good enough to open it to you while your family as a whole – and Gabbie in particular – heals. I will also remind you that the ONLY reason you are here so fast and so easily is because neither you or the rest of your family can harm the other kittens who have already been damaged by adults."

Apolline tried to stare Harry down and found, to her dismay, that she was forced to look away first.

"If I wasn't here to help," he continued in a softer voice now he had shown he meant business, "you wouldn't have even known she was here, and if it was a trap to capture you and Fleur, then William, nor Pierre would have been able to come near the house."

Apolline sighed and nodded.

"You are correct," she admitted, "I apologise for insinuating you had anything to do with my daughter's capture and imprisonment. It has been a long ten months since she was taken and we feared we would never see her again."

"Apology accepted," Harry stated with a soft smile. "As it is, I'm here to explain what I have found in my scans and what I have been doing to correct the damage done. Gabbie already knows everything I am going to tell you as I refuse to keep it away from the person who it affects the most and, if discussions are required, her input will be considered more important than yours."

"That is understandable," Pierre stated, speaking for the first time in softly accented English. "We have always encouraged our girls to be aware of what was going on with their health and we discuss the good and bad points of each treatment offered."

"If only all families were like yours," Harry smiled. "I suggest eating first, then we can discuss scans for everyone before going over Gabbie's experiences."

Fleur groaned in annoyance as she handed her sister a few knuts. Gabbie just grinned at her.

"I told you he would insist of scanning the family," she said, "he takes his job as a healer seriously."

Harry just laughed and unpacked exactly the same breakfast that had been served to everyone else.

~~~Everyonepleaserememberbasichygiene~~~

It was past lunch when Harry finally left the Delacour suite and, to his surprise, Draco was waiting just outside the door for him. Without a word, Harry walked up to him and rest his head on Draco's Chest. As one they wrapped their arms around each other and just stood together, taking in each other's presence.

"These next five months are going to be Hell," Draco muttered into his mate's hair.

"I agree," Harry replied. "I don't like not seeing you every day. I miss our reading time."

"I do as well," Draco confessed. "I've asked Professor Dumbledore if I can leave every evening after dinner and return before curfew. He said he will discuss it with the staff tonight and tell me tomorrow."

"Is there any reason they will refuse?"

"They shouldn't," Draco assured him. "I do have permission to be out tonight though, so I bought a book from my favourite childhood author."

"Sounds wonderful," Harry sighed, then his stomach growled, making them both laugh and separate.

"It sounds as though food sounds wonderful as well," Draco laughed. "How about we get you a snack for now before I take you out for a late lunch?"

Harry nuzzled Draco's cheek with his own while purring.

"I have to talk to Willa first," Harry said when he calmed down and pulled his face away from Draco's, "then we can go."

"How about we share a banana-berry smoothie, then you go see Willa," Draco countered. "You have gone too long without eating."

Harry tried to pout at Draco, but he just couldn't get the smile off his face at the thought of sharing something between the two of them. Once again, Harry's stomach growled out its empty state.

"To the kitchen!" Draco said, striking a hilarious pose.

"To the kitchen," Harry agreed through his giggles, leading the way.

Neither of them noticed the audience that had witnessed the entire thing from the doorway Harry had exited from. Neither did they notice the soft giggling coming from Gabrielle and her sister.

~~~Medicalprofessionalsareheros~~~

Harry relaxed beside Draco, both staring at the river in fascination. Draco had surprised Harry to a lunch of chicken salad sandwiches and cold juice in a small, crowdless area in a park by the Thames. Both of them had laughed in delight when a small group – three in total – of ducks wandered towards them and started nibbling at the lettuce that had fallen from their lunch: Though they had wondered why they were present and hadn't flown away with the others of their flack.

"This is nice," Harry whispered as he snuggled closer to Draco. "We should do it more often."

"I agree," Draco said, his voice just as soft. "It won't be long before we won't have the time to do this."

"Once a week while you are fully studying for your exams, we can do this, and I can help you study," Harry stated. "While your exams are on, the evenings after an exam can be spent like this so you can de-stress for your next one, and when we have kittens, Rinnie and Blaise will happily babysit for us if we need a few hours of us time."

"And if I need to study between exams?" Draco asked playfully, already knowing he would give in to his mate's plan.

"Then I will help you go over stuff for your next exam when you first arrive and then distract you for the rest of the evening."

Draco chuckled and pulled Harry closer to him. He knew very well that Harry would do as stated.

"It sounds wonderful," Draco hummed, "Now, what is this I hear about you offering to take all four younger Zabini kids for the weekend?"

"Well, I would have offered for all five of them, but I doubt Blaise needs a baby sitter," Harry replied, "Besides, keeping him out of trouble is Rinnie's job."

Not able to help himself, Draco threw his head back and laughed.

~~~thisyearprovesthatasaspecieshumanswillnotsurviveazombieapocalypse~~~

As was now normal, when Harry and Draco arrived back at the house, they were bombarded by a flood of mini humanoids. What wasn't normal, however, was the sixteen-year-old Elven youth who had joined the younger kids in their greeting.

"Maddie took his first steps," she said as she threw herself at Harry, sobbing. "Thank you, thank you, thank you!"

"That's wonderful to hear, Clarissa!" Harry almost squealed and spun around with her. "It was my pleasure to help and do what I could to fix the damage."

"I've also come to a decision," Clarissa said as she took a step back and wiped away her tears of joy. "I'm keeping both Maddison and the baby I'm currently carrying. I've spoken with Willa and with the Delacour's today and young Mister Delacour has stated that the father of both was of Weasley blood and he will contact his slightly younger brother to come meet them. Both have agreed to be uncles to them and male role models until I find my mate."

"That is wonderful to hear!" Harry gushed. "There are worse people I can think of to be a role model for them than William. His younger brother will need to be tested before he is allowed access though."

"Both of them have already applied," William smiled. "Charlie did so as soon as he heard about people being found and Fred because he is hoping that when they are caught, he will be able to rescue George."

"What do you mean?" Harry asked.

"Fred and George are twins," William explained, not knowing Harry already knew. "When I left, it was assumed both twins were neither Dominant nor submissive, so it was safe to leave them there, but soon after, George was proven to be a submissive after Fred left the house without him, and by the time he got back, George was missing and no one would say where he was. Fred has been working with Charlie for the last two years to find him."

Harry sighed and rubbed his eyes tiredly.

"There is no need for that," he said. "Before anything could happen to him, he was claimed by his mate. If you wish, I can write them and set up a time and place for you all to reunite."

"That would be wonderful, if you can do that," William smiled, "But let them do the tests first, that way no one can say that we endangered anyone."

Harry snorted in disbelief.

"People will still say it," he stated, "some people will do all they can to discredit good people who challenge their perfect little world with the ugly truth. All this will do is assure that when those idiots try to pull something, they have nothing to stand on."

Draco chuckled as he placed a gentle kiss to Harry's temple.

"While you finish up here, I'll go get the book and set up the lounge."

"Okay," Harry smiled up at his mate. "I won't be long."

With one last kiss, this time to his forehead, Draco moved towards the sitting room.

"I will write to George and Neville tomorrow after breakfast and request a meeting between them and me to explain what is happening and that you have been cleared and your brothers are in the process of being cleared."

Harry held up his hand to stop William from taking and smiled softly.

"They deserve to know, William. Neville has already offered to testify against Ginny concerning her coming with your father to a submissive's meeting and entering the room without permission before trying to lay claim on an already claimed submissive. Hearing that not everyone in his own submissive's family is a scoundrel will be good for him; and George knowing Fred has been looking for him and is undergoing testing to prove his innocence of everything that has happened will make him feel safe because while he knows Fred had nothing to do with it, who knows what crap he was told once he was alone."

"I didn't think of that," William sighed. "We have been so focused on finding him that we never considered what he would have gone through or if we were able to deal with the results once we had him safe with us."

"You assumed he would be the same person he was before everything happened," Harry said. "It is something everyone thinks because that is what they hope – That their loved ones are the same as they remember. It only becomes a problem if the family refuses to acknowledge that a change has occurred and pressures them into acting the way they did before without helping them work through the problem."

William nodded and sighed softly. He, Charlie and Fred were so ready to get their brother back that they may have made everything worse by acting too familiar with him. He really should contact them and let them know what Harry had just told him. A soft touch to his arm snapped him out of his thoughts and his eyes snapped to Harry, who was watching him with wide, knowing eyes.

"You do not have to tell them anything if you find it difficult to break their bubble of hope," the cat-daemon said, as if he had read the worrying thoughts as he had them. "Before any meeting takes place between you, there will be one between the three of you and me. As Healer, it is my duty to mediate meetings and inform family of any behaviours that will be seen as a threat. There may also be some safeguards and boundaries George's dominant wishes to set before agreeing to meet you."

William nodded as he sighed in relief. He didn't have to shoulder this responsibility along side with the work he was doing to hunt down his former family and support Fleur through her newly discovered pregnancy and aiding Gabrielle with her decision to keep the child she had been impregnated with – not that he had believed for one second, she wouldn't keep it once the dark-haired teen had revealed what she had gone through. Veela were highly possessive and protective over their families and, while the man who had sired the child could expect a warm welcome from the three blonde-headed beauties via waves of fireballs thrown at him, the baby would have a warm welcome of a different kind.

Harry, who had been watching the relief spread over the older male's face, nodded a silent greeting at the man's wife – who had arrived as they were discussing George – and almost giggled as the blonde woman had to guide the taller form in how to walk upstairs. When they had vanished from his sight, Harry began making his way towards the loungeroom, where his own mate was, hopefully, patiently waiting for him.

~~~amItheonlyonewhowonderswhatlifeasajellyfishwouldbelike?~~~

Harry stepped into the room where Draco was waiting and he blinked in surprise. All of the furniture, except for one seat that was big enough for Draco to lay on, had been either shrunk or removed and had been replaced with a variety of mattresses, pillows, cushions, beanbags and a bewildering array of brightly coloured blankets. He looked questioningly at all the smiling or giggling children before turning to face Draco.

"One of them found out I was here to read with you," the vampire said with a sheepish smile, "and word travelled quickly that we were having story time. Somehow it developed into us having a sleep-over in this room with snacks and drinks."

"The only snack they will be getting is the marshmallow in their hot chocolate," Harry stated firmly. "There is no food in this room, even during slumber parties."

"Did someone say slumber party?" Gabrielle squealed, "Can we join?"

"Why not?" Draco responded with a sigh, "everyone else is here."

"We do not wish to be a bother," Pierre stated, picking up on Draco's emotions.

"You won't be a bother," Draco responded before giving a sheepish smile, "I just thought I would have more time with just Harry before we began a family. I really should have known this would happen, both Harry and Hermione did warn me, after all."

"As did Remus, Sirius and Tom," Blaise chuckled from the second doorway that lead into a kitchenette.

Draco nodded as he sighed. He knew this better an anyone, so why he was feeling so put out was beyond him.

"Do not worry so, young Draco," Hedwig stated as she tried not to laugh, "Just think of this as practice for when you have your own fledglings."

Draco gave her a glare that would have made Bathilda envious before he pulled Harry into his lap and pulled out the brand-new book from where it had been set. Instantly all noise in the room vanished as everyone snuggled down on or in their designated area; with the Delacour family transfiguring a couch big enough for all of them to sit.

"This author was one of my favourites when I was younger," Draco said, talking to Harry even though he knew everyone was listening, "When they became too easy for me to read, we got rid of them so that is why this one is a new book."

"We can buy the others as we find them," Harry agreed, "It will be good for our family to have some new books along with the old ones."

Draco chuckled and opened it, relishing in the slight stiffness of the new, previously un-opened cover.

"Chapter One: The Witching Hour …" he began, vaguely noticing Harry move off his lap to snuggle into his side. "Sophie couldn't sleep!"

As Draco read, he effortlessly drew everyone listening into Roald Dahl's world where giants and dreams and Little Girls could change the world. The further he read, he found he didn't mind the larger-than-normal audience because Harry was tucked close to his side, reacting just as enthusiastically as the others, while almost vibrating with the strength of his purrs due to being in such close contact with his mate.

The scene that Hedwig walked into in order to announce bedtime made her stop and blink for a moment. Everyone in the room, regardless of age, was in the arms of Morpheus. A glance at the chair that held Draco and Harry made her cover her mouth to hold in her coos. Draco was laying on his stomach with the arm that was on the ground possessively guarding the book he had been reading. Stretched out on his back was Harry's cat form, also on his back, with his front paws flexing as though they were kneading something.

With a soft smile, she dimmed the lights and gently closed the door.

~~~itisraingingtoday~~~

To the surprise of most of those in the 'sleep-over room', as the younger children now called it, they woke up feeling safe even though there was at least one dominant in the same room as them. Looking around, they came to the conclusion that Draco had somehow become one of them. Those who were more jaded than their companions watched his actions with suspicion, only to find themselves confused wit his behaviour. He acted the exact same way towards them as he had since they had first met him, even when he was in the room with only them present. In the end, it was the Dark Elf named Willa who had helped them through their confusion.

She had explained to them that the way Draco reacted and responded to them was how a non-bonded dominant was supposed to act around non-bound submissives – with respect. When his overly familiar behaviour towards Harry had been bought up, she had calmly explained that their magic had begun to bind them together so they were partially bonded. She had also not been shy in telling anyone that what they asked was inappropriate if they crossed one of the lines Harry had firmly drawn the first day they had been there.

The one thing that all of them took away from that meeting was that they were, in fact, completely safe where Draco was concerned, and as a result to this conclusion, they found themselves giggling along with everyone else when it came time for Draco to return to school and Harry asked if he was positive he couldn't fit into the blond's bag.

~~~hopeeveryonehasagoodandsafeEaster~~~

An hour after Draco left, Harry decided to cause the first bit of mayhem for the day and abruptly left the building with no warning. It was mid-way through morning tea that he returned carrying boxes and boxes of paper and stationary.

"I thought that today we could start working on reading and writing," he stated when asked what the paper was for. "Some of you have said you cannot read or write, while some of you were lost before learning how. It is time we fixed that, and even those who know how will be joining in, just so they can get used to it again. I will admit I will be focusing on English, since that is what I know."

He held up a hand for silence when excited murmuring began to fill the room.

"When you can all write easily and can understand basic reading skills, other subjects will be added. Mathematics covers numbers, Geometry for studying the world we live in, Science so we can understand the world and History to reveal lessons we can learn from the past will be the main focus," he continued into the silence. "Art, drama, creative writing and the like will also be included, as will health and fitness."

He smiled at them, making some of them nervous. It was a smile that promised mischief at best and chaos at worst.

"Household duties will be taught to everyone. It doesn't matter if you are submissive, dominant or both. Household duties are not just 'submissive' or 'women's' work. If you live in a house, you should be able to look after it; which means starting tomorrow, everyone will be getting chores suitable for their age group, with a few exceptions."

Harry helped himself to a glass of water and took a sip.

"If your bed isn't made by you in the morning, it will not be made when you go to bed. This is the first exception. Second exception is: If your dirty clothes are not put into the wash basket, they will not be cleaned and third is: If your clean clothes are not put away, you will not have nice, neat clothes to wear and will need to wear things that make you look scruffy."

One pre-teen raised his hand.

"Will Mr Draco be here for them?" he asked when he was acknowledged.

Harry laughed happily.

"No, he won't be here, but he is asking his Headmaster to be allowed out each evening to have dinner, supper and time with me. Yes, that time will involve reading, but that does not mean everyone can join us every night."

His eyes and tone made everyone freeze as he looked them all in the eye.

"Last night we didn't mind overly much," he continued, "and weekends will be fine as well, but we need time alone so our bond can settle."

Harry's eyes softened when a questioning sound escaped several of the older teens.

"Draco and I have an incomplete vampiric bond that requires us to have a certain amount of time alone together every week," Harry explained. "We normally obtain this by sitting on a seat with a sound barrier so we don't disturb the other in the room. As for Draco learning household duties … Well …"

"What Harry isn't saying is that Draco is undergoing this training with Remus and Sirius as part of the magically binding contract he was unknowingly entered into," Hermione answered when Harry looked at her for help. "The reason he won't be doing it here is because he has to prove he can do it without Harry's help, and Harry teaching him will be classified as him helping."

"Will we still have story time?" one of the younger children asked. "I like stories. The giant was funny."

This was followed by a chorus of 'me too', 'YEAH!' and STORIES!' which made Harry laugh without restraint.

"There will be story-time," he announced after he had calmed a bit. "It will, however, be one of us who reads it and then everyone will get a turn to read something when they learn how. Now, finish up your snacks and drinks, then clean yourselves up. It is time to start with the basics!"

There was a flurry of activity as everyone who understood what was happening quickly finished off their snacks, drained their drinks and helped those that needed it down from the table to clean up.

As they cleaned up the mess left behind in the excitement, Harry and Hermione both despaired. Their reaction to learning something that most people took for granted was both exhilarating the depressing. Exhilarating because these kids would learn it with ferocity and despair because it showed just how badly they had had it beforehand.

~~~thoughtsandprayerstoeveryonewhoisisck~~~

By the time lunch was ready to be served, many of those who had previously been taught to write had begun to write their own names as well as a few small words, while the others had completed a few pages of the writing workbooks Harry had bought for them. Those who were too young or had never held a pencil before had enjoyed the hobby loved by most kids involving coloured pencils and blank paper. They'd had so much fun, in fact, that Harry was thinking about introducing them to the joys of painting.

Harry, Hermione and Hedwig exchanged amused expressions at the sounds of protest that their charges made when they were told to pack up and prepare for lunch.

"Come on Kiddies!" Harry announced, with a clap of his hands, "the faster you start the faster you finish!"

The grumbling continued, but everyone over the age of six began to clean up their work areas. Trouble didn't start until one of the older children decided to be helpful and tried to help one of the younger kids clean up. The child, not yet wanting his new toys to be removed, reacted in the way all kids his age reacted: He started screaming: And once one stated, more started to screw up their faces.

"No!" Harry stated firmly, striding to the screaming child and bending down until he was at eye level. "What is this noise about?"

Seeing Harry dealing with the screamer, Hermione indicated for Hedwig to follow her and picked up one of the young ones and left in the direction of the bathroom. The oldest teens quickly caught onto what Hermione was doing and soon copied her actions in getting the more sensitive ones out of the room under the impression of getting them ready for lunch.

The child reached for his pencils again, but Harry gently pushed his hand down with a calm, 'No."

Once again, the face screwed up in preparation to scream.

"No," Harry repeated. "It is time for lunch, not play."

"'Unch?" was uttered through his stuttered breathing.

"Yes, Christopher, lunch," Harry responded, "and then play time again."

"Not taking 'way?" Christopher hiccoughed.

"No, we aren't taking them away. We are putting them in a case with your name on it and putting them in your box," Harry answered, silently thanking any gods that were listening that he managed to stop the tantrum before it got beyond just screaming and sobbing.

"Now," he continued with a smile and a soft boop on the youngster's nose, "it is time for you to go and wash your hands and face with Miss Hedwig while I clean up this mess, okay?"

Christopher nodded and slid off his chair, but instead of heading for Hedwig, he threw his arms around Harry and hugged him.

Harry blinked but hugged him back, running his fingers through the boy's hair. After several moments, Christopher let him go and walked to Hedwig, who removed him from the room, but that didn't prevent Harry's sensitive ears from picking up the "I'm sorry" he uttered to someone. When the helpful pre-teen re-entered the room, her soft smile revealed it was her who was the recipient.

When all of the children were seated and enjoying a wonderfully scented pasta dish, Hedwig turned to Harry.

"How did you do that?" she asked.

"Do what?" Harry asked in honest confusion.

"Calm him so fast," Hedwig clarified. "Before the older red-headed female got to him, it took ages to calm him when he started.

"Oh … that," Harry blushed. "It is something all submissives can do, though normally it isn't developed until we have young of our own, but …"

He shrugged.

From her spot beside him, Hermione snorted.

"What he means is that all submissives have a hormone that develops when they first become impregnated that aids them to sooth children. For some reason, Harry's developed without the need of impregnation; something we put down to living in an orphanage from a very young age."

"A similar hormone develops to calm dominants," she continued, "Harry uses it to calm Draco, but for some reason, it doesn't work on any but him."

"It is because he and I are partially bonded," Harry admitted. "If we were fully bonded, I would be able to calm most dominants. It developed as a way for submissives to protect their babies from dominants of other species that would kill them."

Hedwig looked at the young male in horror.

"There are dominants that kill hatchlings?" she hissed.

"In the past, yes," he answered honestly. "In wartime the submissives stayed at home and the dominants would leave to fight. Some of the dominants on all sides were unscrupulous enough to attack submissives with young ones in a bid to hurt an enemy, but those unmated demon dominants would do it in an effort to claim the submissive for even one single night."

"It doesn't happen much in modern times," he continued, "thanks to laws concerning submissives both mated and unmated. There are, unfortunately, times when it happens: You being here proves that."

"I'm here because I saw something I wasn't supposed to," Hedwig stated bitterly.

"Would you do anything different if you could go back?" Hermione asked.

Hedwig looked around the room at all the people surrounding her.

"No," she answered softly, "I wouldn't. If I did, I wouldn't have met any of the marvellous people I have become attached too."

Somehow, Hedwig never noticed the atmosphere in the room lighten as the tension left those who had been trapped with her.