Harry opened his eyes and stared up at the ceiling in confusion, wondering why he was awake. His small bedroom at the Dursley's was still enveloped in darkness and the house was silent. He was about to chalk it up to bad dreams and close his eyes again when he noticed it: a strange vibration throughout his body, as though a weak electric current was running just under his skin.
He quickly became a lot more alert when he realised that in conjunction with the strange buzzing, he felt an overwhelming achiness in his limbs, as well as being stiflingly hot and sweaty.
Harry sat up with a muted groan as achy body immediately protested the movement.
"Brilliant," he muttered as he rubbed at his eyes, thinking that he had come down with some sort of virus. He was currently living on his own, his Aunt and Uncle having decided to remain where they had fled to during the war until Harry returned to Hogwarts for his eighth and final year of schooling. They would eventually return to Surrey - and Harry hoped to never see them again.
He opened his eyes and his breath caught in his throat. His fingers were glowing with a faint white light, which then began to crackle a little the longer he stared at them. The electric buzzing just under his skin suddenly intensified and Harry quickly threw back the covers and jumped to his feet, staring down at his body in fear.
Nothing else appeared to be amiss aside from his glowing fingertips.
Harry frowned and glanced at his wand sitting on the bedside table, unsure as to whether he should touch it or not. It felt as though his magic suddenly had a mind of its own and wanted to strike out at something.
Harry clapped a hand over his mouth when his belly suddenly turned over and he sprinted for the toilet down the hall.
He collapsed onto his knees before the porcelain bowl and emptied the contents of his stomach into it in great heaving convulsions. Once his stomach was sufficiently empty and nothing more was able to come up, Harry dropped his forehead onto the cool white toilet seat and closed his eyes, panting heavily.
He swallowed and kept his eyes closed as waves of dizziness continued to break over him, making him feel faint and light-headed, and he really didn't want to pass out on the floor all alone. No one would even think to check on him until he didn't show up for the Hogwarts Express, which was still a month away.
Harry swallowed again and did the only thing he could think of - he croakily called out for Kreacher.
The stooped and knobbly-kneed little house-elf appeared quite quickly. "Master Harry, how may I be of assistance?" he asked in his slow and precise way in a voice as dry as paper. He then gave a slight bow as though he wasn't standing in the loo next to his Master hunched over a toilet reeking of vomit.
Harry forced his eyes open a crack and looked at him. "I'm not well Kreacher, could you perhaps bring me some potions from Hogwarts? I'm sure Madam Pomfrey wouldn't mind…"
Kreacher's large bulbous eyes narrowed at Harry and his nostrils flared when he leaned in and sniffed.
Harry flinched away from him with a frown. "What…?"
"Master is in the midst of his change," he replied as though that answered everything.
"What… change?" Harry questioned weakly, closing his eyes when another wave of nausea washed over him.
Kreacher stepped in and took another whiff then nodded to himself. "Master is coming into his Omega inheritance."
Harry's eyes snapped back open at that. "O-omega?" he repeated, tripping over the word. "Don't you mean Alpha? I thought only females were Omegas."
Kreacher shook his head, eyes shining with pride for being able to impart such important information to his Master. Ever since the war Kreacher had been much more pleasant - helpful even - and Harry had come to trust him, though by no means had he become even half the friend to Harry that Dobby had been.
"Male Omegas are rare but not non-existent," Kreacher explained slowly. "There was a male Omega in the Black family a century ago."
"Are you sure I'm… I'm one?" Harry asked, not even wanting to say the word aloud, it was too embarrassing. Omegas were highly sought after females who were stunningly beautiful and who produced babies for their Alpha mates when they went through a heat cycle - that wasn't him.
Kreacher nodded. "You are producing the scent of an Omega. Mistress Narcissa had the same smell when she turned eighteen and went through the change. Master Sirius' Alpha scent was very different to this one. You're no Alpha, nor Beta, Master Harry."
"Thanks," Harry replied dryly, closing his eyes and leaning against the toilet once more. "Is there anything I can take to stop feeling like shite?"
Kreacher bowed again. "I will fetch Master Harry some nausea potions from Hogwarts. I will also bring some potions to mask your scent."
"What for?"
"You shall not wish to advertise the fact that you are an Omega amongst all the new Alphas which will be attending Hogwarts this year. Young Alphas do not possess the control that older, more experienced ones do. You shall also not possess the mental capacity to make wise decisions when an Alpha approaches, so best to avoid that until you are finished at Hogwarts."
Harry cracked his eyes open and grimaced at the small house-elf. "Great, so the fact that we're returning to Hogwarts for a special eighth year means that we're more susceptible to trouble due to our creature inheritances because normally you're finished with school by the time you turn eighteen?"
Kreacher nodded and Harry rolled his eyes.
"Why did no one mention this when they thought it was a good idea to extend the invitation to us to return for another year?" Harry bit out with a scowl.
Kreacher merely stared back at him, blinking those large glassy eyes of his.
Harry sighed. "Fine, please fetch me those potions Kreacher."
Kreacher bowed then paused before leaving. "Master Harry must also register himself with the Ministry; all Omegas must be documented by the Ministry for their own protection."
"What?" Harry exclaimed in alarm. "I'm not telling the Ministry that I'm an Omega! It'll be splashed across all the papers… everyone will know that I'm some sort of abnormal freak. How is advertising to the world that I'm an Omega a safety precaution? No, I'm not going," Harry refused with a shake of his head. "Just fetch me those potions Kreacher."
Kreacher bowed once more before disappearing on the spot.
Harry dropped his head back onto the cool toilet bowl and closed his eyes with a muted groan. He couldn't believe that he'd finally rid the world of Voldemort, ready to begin a somewhat normal life, and then suddenly had this thrust upon him. He was beginning to think that he was cursed.
Harry reached up to flush the toilet and then leaned back against the cabinet beside him.
He would just have to confide in Ron and Hermione on the way back to Hogwarts to get their opinion of things; he was sure Hermione would know all about male Omegas and their history and have some sort of advice for him.
He tried to avoid thinking about the Alphas that would also be on the train and what being 'mated' would even mean for him. Did this mean that he could now become pregnant? Would the Alphas even want him? Would they even be interested in having a male Omega as a mate? And did he even have to choose an Alpha? Could he still be with whomever he wanted, regardless of their status?
He hated being forced into things or being told that he had to do something; it only made him want to do the exact opposite.
It was all so confusing and he found for the first time in his life that he was actually dreading returning to Hogwarts.