Chapter 1: One of the Beasts
A/N: Sooo hello people. My first fanfic here, yes its M rated (for later chapters) – this is for a reason people, and, since it's come from my imagination it should deserve that rating. The story starts when our beloved Chosen one is ending fifth year. Yes, it won't follow the exact story line and I don't know I'll include the war and the rest of the storyline or completely corrupt J.K.'s award-winning line of best sellers and go off on a tangent (probably). THIS IS DRARRY FOR A REASON! It didn't happen in the books so it's going up here – not in the books where I can pour out my twisted mind for all you lovely people to read ;) .
Warnings: Eventual Drarry love, boy x boy kinkiness, smut, fluff, sexual themes and large feathered creatures (haven't got there with most of those yet) :) .
Disclaimer: I DO NOT OWN ANY OF THE CHARACTERS (BAR A FEW O/C'S AND STUFF I MAKE UP) OR THE PLACES OR ANYTHING! AS MUCH AS I WOULD LIKE TO TAKE CREDIT FOR IT, YOU SHOULD REALLY GO AND THANK J.K. ROWLING. I REPEAT I OWN NOTHING! (THIS APLIES TO ANY AUTHORS ON FANFICTION WHO THINK I'VE STOLEN YOUR STORY – DIDN'T HAPPEN. THIS CAME FROM MY MIND AND IF YOU HAVE A PROBLEM WITH IT THEN GO AWAY)
P.S. Any flames will be fed to the pet dragon in my cupboard.
…
The Forbidden Forest was eerily silent. No birds chirruped or animals stirred. He liked it like this, the creatures of the forest didn't bother him but it was nice to be alone sometimes.
"What is your business here human?" Harry sighed, okay; one creature in the forest bothered him. He turned around to find himself face to face with Bane. The dark haired centaur had his bow drawn and was pointing an arrow directly between Harry's eyes.
"Humans may not come here; this is a place for beasts and the other creatures of your realm." The centaur looked angry, but then again, that was how he usually looked. Harry sighed again.
"It's not like I have anywhere else to go!" He muttered and limped off in the direction away from Bane. The twinges in his back were getting stronger, he needed to get away.
"Explain yourself human!" Bane whinnied and stamped his hooves irritably. Harry looked back at the centaur, allowing some of the power bubbling up in his chest to bleed out of his eyes for a second. Damn, he suddenly grasped at a tree as pain ricocheted up his spine. He needed more time than this. The centaur snorted and reared up in alarm, backing away as Old Magic flared in the clearing. Harry grimaced in pain, and then turned wincing to face Bane again. He jabbed a finger at his own chest.
"Not a normal human, caught on have you?" Bane looked horrified as Harry collapsed to the ground with a shriek of pain.
"What are you?" Harry didn't answer , he couldn't answer. He was crouched on all fours, gasping as pain ripped along his back and shoulders. Hot tears of pain trickled down his cheeks. Please God let this stop he prayed. With bleary eyes, he looked at the centaur.
"Please-" He broke off with a small scream as the pain spiked sharply. "Please, go. GO!" The pain turned white hot and Harry screamed in agony. There was a sudden tearing sound and then, silence.
…
Harry lifted his head from where he was lying face down in the moss. His back ached but it wasn't the sharp agony of before. Something wet and warm was trickling down his legs and for a moment he was sure he had wet himself. Pressing his nose deeper into the earth, he managed to look down far enough to see crimson liquid dribbling down his shins. Blood. However disturbing that was, Harry felt marginally relieved not to have released his bladder into his pyjama pants, even if bleeding from his back was the alternative. He felt, heavy. Someone had covered him in a warm, slightly damp blanket. Turning his head so that only one cheek was pressed into the ground, Harry was presented with at least ten things. They were about as thick as his arm and covered in a coat of smooth hair, four were black, two were dun, another four were chestnut and the last two were a light golden colour. They shifted and then another four, this time greyish-blue, hairy things wandered into his view. Focussing slightly, Harry realised what they were. Legs. Curling himself up onto his knees, he raised his head to look up at who the shifting limbs belonged to.
Four centaurs stood above him, Bane included. Accompanying him were two other males, who the chestnut legs and the dun and golden legs. The last figure was a female. She had black hair, violet eyes and an almost silvery grey body. A wreath of purple and blue flowers was woven into her hair. This was not good. To Harry's alarm, the female kneeled down in front of him so she was at eye level. He shut his eyes as a hand reached out towards him. Cool fingers caressed his cheek.
"Open your eyes young one; no harm will befall you here." Harry cracked open an eye. The lady centaur smiled warmly at him. He opened both and blinked a couple of times.
"Really," Harry laughed, then let out a whimper as pain ricocheted up his spine. He pointed ruefully at Bane. "He has a whole 'death to the humans' attitude going on." This made the black centaur scowl and the other three laugh.
"Then it would be foolish to fear him wouldn't it, as it is only humans that Bane here despises." Harry looked warily at her.
"Yeah, and you are exactly? I was human - not normal but human - the last time I looked." At this all four centaurs fell silent, glancing nervously at each other. They either heard the lie that Harry had blatantly told them or actually thought he actually thought he was human. The male with the dark and light golden coat frowned at him slightly.
"You might want to look again little one." Obviously it was the latter. Harry stared at him for a moment, before standing up and eyeballing as much of him that he could see. Of course he still looked hu-
Something large black and feathery suddenly obstructed his line of vision. Harry gaped. He ran his fingers lightly over the warm surface. It gave him the curious sensation of feeling the wing through his fingertips and at the same time feeling his fingertips through his wing. Hang on, his wing? Harry reached behind him in alarm. The large black thing had sprouted from his back. No, wait, there were two black things. Wings. Harry slowly stretched out his new feathered appendages. Spanning about ten feet from tip to tip, the wings were truly a thing of beauty. Starting at inky black at the top, the feathers faded through a smoky charcoal to a soft dove grey at the bottom, the black detailing and fringing the edges, the very lightest feathers speckled with white. With a slight irony, Harry realised they matched his hair. He flapped them weakly, then cried out as pain shot up his spine.
"You see now, young one?" The golden coated male said gently. Harry swallowed noisily.
"Yeah... Wings... Ohhhh, this is so not good. At least it explains the marks..." He murmured to himself. All four centaurs looked at him thoughtfully.
"Marks?" Bane spoke for the first time. Harry nodded gingerly. He got to his feet slowly, swaying slightly, and pulled what remained of his pajama t-shirt over his head, the fact that his glasses were missing not even registering through the shock. Standing bare chested in the moonlight alerted him to another thing.
Harry's hair now reached down to his waist.
"Weird..." As he turned to face them, the centaurs gasped in awe.
Black and green markings swirled over Harry's chest. They curled over his shoulders and wrapped themselves around his arms, ending on the palms and backs of his hands. The tattoos wove up his neck and cheekbones to finally rest on his brow. The markings were vines. The jade and ebony stems seemed to have grown over him, sprouting leaves and coiling around him as they would a stone pillar. Flowers and even birds rested in the trailing limbs. From some angles they looked like real plants, from others just a stunning tattoo. Harry's eyes blazed emerald, pupils dilated and gleaming, his wings arched over him and waist length glossy black hair floating slightly in the breeze. The ethereal image was broken by the boy clearing his throat nervously; completely oblivious to how he looked to others.
"So… Anyone willing to offer an explanation, or even their name?" Harry prompted, easing himself back onto the ground. The man, or centaur, with the palomino body stepped forwards.
"My apologies child, my name is Amasis. My companions are Bane, who you have encountered before. Palidor," He gestured to the male beside Bane, "and Terentia." Amasis lastly gestured to the violet eyed female who was still kneeling in the grass. She smiled warmly at Harry, who felt a slight loosening in the tightness of his chest. He let out his breath with a whoosh.
"And the explanation?" Palidor nodded his head.
"Before that, do you have any idea what you are?" The question surprised Harry.
"Not a clue." Palidor nodded again, noting that the young man seemed far to calm for the situation.
"That may be the case but please hear me out. Have you ever heard of Levathians?" Harry shook his head. This seemed to please Palidor slightly and Harry was suddenly reminded of Hermione. The centaur had the same expression that his friend wore when she told everyone something they didn't understand and was then able to give a long lecture about it to explain. With a wry smile, he realised that if the two ever met they would probably get along very cleared his throat and Harry started.
"Sorry, lost in thought. You were saying?" The blonde centaur sighed.
"Levathian are one of the rarest breeds of mythological creature. There are only two types or genders if you will, aptly named the Dominant, or Seraphim, and Submissive, or Cherubim. The Seraphim are fairly easy to find, many pureblood families are of a Seraphim line. The Dominants are the sire of a Levathian breeding pair, they can mate with mortals but their offspring will always be human. In order to sire a Levathian child, the Dominant must find themselves a Cherubim mate to bear their young and with whom they will spend the rest of their life. This may sound easy but it is much harder for a Submissive to be born, which is why there are so few Levathian in existence. Any child a Levathian pair has will be a Seraph, unless both of the parents are unusually powerful. This can occasionally result in a Cherubim being born, in which case the child would be incredibly powerful." Palidor paused and glanced over at Harry to check he was still listening.
"Whilst Dominants are always male, a Submissive can be either male or female as both have the ability to bear young. The other reason Cherubim are so rare is that they are always born from human couples. One of the parents has to have at least a minute amount of Seraphim blood in them, this triggers the survival instinct and unknown to them, their child is born a Cherub." Harry was still trying to get his head around what Palidor had told him.
"Fascinating though this is, what does any of it have to do with me?" The blonde centaur sighed irritably.
"If you would allow me to finish you may find out. Since they were born to a human couple, the Submissive lives out its life as a human until it comes into contact with an unmated Seraph. If the two of them are compatible as mates and, or, the Seraph or Cherub desires the other, Levathian puberty kicks in. Markings showing the extent of the Cherubs power emerge and when they are completed, their wings sprout. During this period, it is usual to experience severe back pain, this is the wings growing under the skin until they are ready to emerge for the first time, this is often quite painful." Harry snorted.
"Quite painful, more like bloody torture." He shuddered at the memory of what he had had to endure only hours earlier. The centaurs gave him sympathetic looks before Palidor continued.
"The more intricate and widespread the markings, the more powerful the Cherub. Your markings show you to have an astounding affinity for plants and their properties, animals possibly too. Are you any good in herbology or potions?" Harry grinned tiredly.
"Nah, I'm terrible." Palidor shrugged.
"That's understandable; quite often the powers only manifests itself after the wings sprout. Levathians with the Earth ability often make great healers." Harry was listening absentmindedly until it suddenly hit him.
"Hang on, I'm a Cherub right? And I've just gone through this 'Levathian puberty' right?" He clarified. Palidor nodded.
"So that means some guy at school is a Seraph and wants to mate me?" Harry nearly shrieked in alarm, breathing escalating rapidly. Palidor frowned slightly.
"Yes that's true, but considering the size of the school and how many pureblood students there are, and taking into account the considerably lack of other potential mates around, I would say you probably have around three if not more 'guys' who want to mate you, not just one." Terentia sighed as Palidor rounded off his speech looking very proud of himself. She kicked his fetlock and hissed quietly at him.
"Very helpful of you Palidor. Just what the boy wants to hear at the moment. He has just spent almost an hour in agony only to discover he's not human, and now knows than there is someone who wants to bind themselves to him for life at his school - his home - and now you have to go and say he probably has about nine other Seraphs breathing down his neck and trying to bed him, not just one!" Harry choked slightly as Terentia said nine.
"I said three, not nine, Levathian aren't that common you know." Palidor hissed back. Harry was slumped against a tree, his mind trying to process everything that had just happened. Having to spend eternity with another guy wasn't the problem, he mused, it would be better than Ginny anyway... Although now he thought about it, being gay was probably hardwired into his DNA, along with the ability to 'bear young' as Palidor put it. Harry sighed, that wasn't the issue either, he'd always wanted a family. The problem was who had triggered his sudden uhh, growth spurt, and how many of them were coming after him. And, he thought worriedly, if he had any say in the matter. Amasis trotted over to Harry and knelt down, warm amber eyes meeting vivid green ones.
"We know this is difficult for you child, but you must not give up hope. You cannot be mated against your will and we will help you with anything you need. I would recommend coming to the forest for the first couple of weeks to strengthen your wings." He smiled slightly.
"Palidor will teach you how to retract your wings and then you must go back to bed. However, if there is ever any trouble, know that you are always welcome in the forest." The smile became a crooked grin.
"After all, you are one of the beasts now."
…
Harry was dragged from sleep by someone shouting in his ear. He opened his eyes and squinted blearily, there was something large and red floating directly in front of his nose. As his eyes focused, Harry realised that it was Ron's head, his face now matching his hair colour from yelling. Groaning, Harry sat up, hand automatically reaching for his glasses before he realised that he could see perfectly fine without them. He winced as Ron continued to shout.
"HARRY!" The redhead had obviously been so focused on waking Harry up he hadn't realised that his friend was now watching him with an expression that promised a painful death. Ron only stopped when Harry smacked him in the face with a pillow.
"For the love of Merlin, I'm awake!" Harry stretched slightly, relieved when all he felt in his back was a slight stiffness. Ron looked slightly sheepish.
"Harry we've been trying to wake you for ages, what happened to you?" Looking around, Harry realised that Neville, Seamus, Dean and even Hermione were crowded round his bed.
"What do you mean, 'what happened to me', I'm perfectly fine! Anyway, why are you here Hermione?" All five of them looked at Harry.
"What?" He asked. Hermione sighed.
"Honestly Harry, I'm here because none of the others could wake you up, they were worried! We'd almost reached the traditional method of chucking a bucket of water over you but thankfully that wasn't necessary!" Harry glowered at her.
"Thankfully! What are you all so worked up about anyway, I'm fine!" He spread his arms, emphasizing his words. To his surprise, Dean, Hermione and Seamus blushed.
"Harry," Hermione began tentatively, "have you looked in the mirror this morning." Feeling a growing sense of alarm, Harry scrambled out of bed and ran to the full length mirror in the corner of the dorm. Had the marks returned when he was asleep? He could feel the wings were still retracted. His jaw dropped slightly when he looked in the mirror.
Looking back at him was his reflection, but it wasn't the reflection he remembered. It was still recognisably him, but with a slight grin, Harry realised that there were some serious perks to Levathian puberty. Poker strait, inky black hair fell to his waist. Slightly choppy bangs framed his face with the shortest resting on his cheekbones and the longest brushing his collar bones, the rest tumbled down his back. Although his skin had originally been pale, it was now resembled clear porcelain, blemish free except for the lightning scar on his forehead. The centre of everything was his eyes; they now seemed much larger than before, a bright glimmering green framed by long dusky lashes. Completing the picture was a slightly leaner and more muscular body that was a definite improvement on what he'd had before. He was still Harry, and although he wasn't as stunning as when he was in his true form, for a human he looked good. With a critical eye Harry assessed himself. Scratch that, he looked very good. Hermione had turned scarlet by this point and Dean and Seamus were blatantly staring. He turned to face them.
"Yeah, what's the problem?" Four mouths dropped open.
"Please tell me you're not experimenting with changing your features by magic Harry." Hermione looked worried. He smiled reassuringly at her.
"You know me better than that Granger, it just happened. Must be puberty I guess." With a snicker, Harry wandered over to the bed, grabbed his robes and began to get dressed. Everyone was still staring at him until he dropped his pyjama trousers, at which point everyone turned round abruptly. Except for Dean who was still staring until Harry glanced over his shoulder and raised an eyebrow at him. Hermione having come to her senses began dragging everyone out the dorm. Before she slammed the door she shouted at him, voice an octave higher than usual.
"See you at breakfast Harry." Harry nodded and she left the room. With a chuckle, Harry donned his customary black robes and shoved his wand in a pocket. Lastly, he tied his hair up in a high ponytail, leaving the bangs down to tickle his chest. Even when up, the glossy mass still reached the small of his back. With a sigh, Harry grabbed his bag and left for the Great Hall.
Whispers followed him all the way down the corridor and as he entered the Great Hall. He sat down between Hermione and Ron, the whole table growing quiet at his sudden change in appearance. Harry, feeling self-conscious, nibbled on a slice of toast as people began to wander over from other tables to stare at him. Maybe suddenly becoming very attractive wasn't such a good thing. Not that he was ugly before, mentally soothing his wounded ego. A couple of seats down from Ron, Dean and Seamus were still staring, and they were now accompanied by the rest of the Gryfindoor table. Ginny was so transfixed that the scrambled eggs she had been in the process of lifting to her mouth had dropped back onto her plate, leaving only the fork swaying slightly in mid-air, its presence forgotten. With a sigh, Harry put down his half eaten toast and swung his bag onto his shoulder before marching quickly out of the hall. Breakfast could wait but his sanity could not. Unbeknownst to him and each other, three pairs of inhuman eyes followed the young Cherub's retreating back. Stunned by his beauty, all three Seraphs' couldn't wait to see him in his true Levathian form. The game had begun.
Harry sat in Hagrid's hut nursing a mug of tea. The half giant was probably the only one who wasn't surprised at his new appearance, but he admitted to Harry that Amasis had visited him early that morning and explained what Harry was. This bothered the boy until he found out that Hagrid only knew so he could act as a go between for Harry and the centaurs. The gigantic man was sat at the table opposite Harry, drinking from his own bucket size mug. He put it down with a thud and turned a scrutinizing eye on the young boy.
"Was it too much for yah at breakfast then?" Hagrid grinned and took another gulp of tea. Harry threw him a look.
"You try going into the Great Hall when it's full of people and having everyone staring at you!" He shot back indignantly. "Besides," at this point Harry pouted, "It's not like I wanted the attention." The gigantic man laughed and took their now empty mugs and dumped them in the sink.
"Been there m'boy, try going into first year when yer twice the height of everyone else." Harry grinned at the thought of a first year Hagrid.
"Point taken. While I get stunning good looks you had to put up with being the size of an elephant, literally. I feel sorry for you." Hagrid scowled at him and Harry took it as his cue to leave, he grabbed his bag and headed for the door.
"Thanks for the tea Hagrid, tell Amasis and the others I'll come and see them tomorrow night." Harry raced up the path back to the castle. He had just gone through the front door then a voice made him whirl round.
"Off for a spot of flying Potter?" Harry turned to see Marcus Flint, captain of the Slytherin quidditch team leaning against the wall as if he had been waiting for him.
"No, I went for a walk, now if you'll excuse me, i have homework to do." Harry smiled weakly and tried to walk away but a firm grip on his arm pulled him roughly into an alcove and pushed him up against the wall. He looked up into Flint's face, it seemed almost feral.
"Is that what you call it? Anyway, it wasn't that sort of flying I meant. This kind is much more," the older boy seemed to think for a moment, "natural." Harry's blood ran cold. Surely, surely, Marcus Flint couldn't be a – the captain watched realisation dawn in Harry's eyes.
"Bingo." He whispered. Harry felt sick. He had to get out of there.
"Worked it out now have you my little Cherub." Flint purred and pressed himself up against Harry, who whimpered in fear before he could stop himself. Marcus's smile broadened at the sound.
"Oh my little Cherub, what I would like to do to you. You know, when you walked into the Great Hall this morning I could barely restrain myself. You just looked so – delicious." By now Harry was in a full blown panic, his Levathian instincts were going haywire and he was terrified. He struggled weakly against the far larger, far stronger Seraph.
"Let me go, please let me go!" He begged. This only seemed to excite the Dominant further he pushed his hand up Harry's top, pinching a nipple roughly and causing Harry to cry out in pain.
"Now now, after we've mated you'll have to get used to me touching you. Stop struggling." Harry only sobbed and fought harder, trying to kick Marcus's shins.
"Please let me go!" Harry shrieked. His foot connected with its target and the Slytherin captain swore in pain. He grabbed the Cherub by the back of his shirt and hauled him up to eye level.
"Listen here, Potter." He hissed. "You are going to have to learn some proper-"
"He doesn't have to do anything, Marcus." A cool voice cut through the fear clouding Harry's brain. He turned his head and squinted though his tears to see someone tall and pale standing in the corridor. Marcus released him and he dropped to the ground with a thud, curling into a ball. Two feet in black leather shoes stepped into his line of vision. Marcus snarled.
"What do you want?" Harry's Levathian senses seemed to pick up a fluctuation of power for a second, but he couldn't tell where it had come from. Whatever it was, Marcus snarled even louder, but then stormed away down the corridor. Someone came and crouched down next to Harry and helped him sit up against the wall. He was shaking, tears still running down his cheeks, accompanied by the occasional hiccup. Harry's senses were in overdrive, whilst with Flint the majority of them had been screaming for him to run, whoever the newcomer was they had not only saved him, but caused the feeling of alarm to immediately subside, leaving only a sense of warmth. Harry looked up at the figure blearily.
"Thank you. Thank you. If you hadn't-" He broke off with a slight choking sound. Harry blinked. Then he blinked again. No, oh please no. But that smug face was unmistakable.
Fuck.
"Glad to be of assistance." Draco Malfoy smirked at Harry, before holding out a long pale hand for him to grab.
He would never live this down.
Woooohhh! That's the end of the first chapter people; I am currently beta-less and loving it so sorry about any mistakes, however, if anyone wants to offer their beta services I would be honoured. So, three potential mates, one defeated so far but might he return to claim our beloved Cherub? And Malfoy already in the mix, our poor Harry what's a bird, sorry, boy to do? Stay tuned people! (Next chapter should be longer.)
Please review! (They stimulate the brain cells and help me write faster.) Since I have an extremely low opinion of myself, I only ask for five reviews (preferably from different people) before I post another chapter. Ideas and suggestions are very welcome and please point out any mistakes – don't be mean though! I love to hear peoples thoughts though so hit that shiny blue button and review!
Angel x