Chapter 2

Submissive doesn't mean Submission

"Tell me about it," Harry Muttered too quietly to be heard.

"I don't understand Ma'am," Oliver chimed in. "What did you find?"

Poppy looked at the parchment once more. Other than the Elixir, a Polyjuice potion, and for some reason she didn't want to think about, Basilisk venom and Phoenix tears, everything else seemed right. "Dominantium Elixir," She said sadly, earning confused looks from the boys. "It's a Dark and very illegal potion." She explained.

Harry paled. "I swear I didn't take any like that! Honest!"

"Calm down Mr. Potter. This is not a potion any student would be able to get their hands on easily." She reassured. "Which is what makes this so concerning. Someone must have been dosing you for a long time for the effects to show like this…"

"Ma'am?" Oliver asked, putting his arm around Harry who still looked scared. "What exactly does the potion do?"

The old Matron sighed. "It was actually quite popular several decades ago," She began looking at her bookshelves in the corner of the room. "It's intended purpose is to increase the possibility of a child becoming a Dominant."

It was a horrible potion for a horrible time. Submissives were sold off like cattle to the highest bidder. Dominants did as they pleased without fear of retaliation. If you were unfortunate enough to be born a submissive, you could not inherit anything. You were not allowed to have your name on any sort of papers. You couldn't own anything, not even yourself. As such, the Purebloods wanted Dominant heirs who could inherit their fortunes. It was too bad that their greed ended up being their undoing.

"But, if the potion turns kids into Dominants, how is-"

"Ah, but you weren't listening closely enough Mr. Wood. I said it's intended purpose was to increase the chance, I never said it worked." She said standing up and going over to her bookshelves. She took down a brown and gold bound book and flipped through the pages until she found the section she was looking for.

"This is how a male submissive would normally look," she said showing them a picture of a young boy. He was skinny but not in a sickly way. And although he wasn't as curvy as a woman, he certainly had some curvature in his hips.

"And this," She continued, " is how an Alpha should look."

The Boy in this picture was far more muscular than the other was. His muscles were well defined in his arms, and he had broad shoulders. Also, where the other boy had, had softer features, this boy had strong sharp edges in his facial structure.

"The potion does two things, boys," she explained. "First, and most obviously, it makes a child's appearance look more like that of a Dominant. Asked for the other," She said looking at Harry who wasn't looking so good already. "It destabilizes the magical core, sometimes to the point of death." She said morosely

"NO!" Wood exclaimed, wrapping his arms around Harry who now looked very pale.

"Not to worry Wood, if Mr. Potter were that bad off, we would have noticed long before now." She reassured. "However, that doesn't make this any less serious. In accordance with my Healer's Oath, I have to take Mr. Potter to Saint Mungos immediately to be seen by a specialist." She said but noticed woods trepidation. "As you are now his Dominant mate, you do have the right to accompany him, Mr. Wood. But," she said giving him a pointed look. "As school Matron, I am also required to report this to the Hogwarts Board of Governors. It may behoove you to accompany me." She explained. There were quite a few members on the Board who might try to use this to their advantage. Try to get their own children or relatives to mate with Harry. Showing that he already had a strong Alpha mate would knock a good portion of them out of the running.

Oliver looked torn. He understood what she was saying, but the idea of leaving Harry alone in a new place surrounded by complete strangers, even with oathbound Healers nearby, didn't sit well with him. He wondered for a moment if he could maybe get one of the other Quidditch team members to go with him. But no, that wouldn't work. Not only did he doubt Harry was ready to reveal what had transpired in the shower room, but he also had some other suspicions on why Pomfrey wanted him to go with her to meet with the Board. She hadn't said anything, but he got the feeling that she, at the very least, suspected someone on the staff to be responsible for giving Harry that Potion. If that was the case, then time was of the essence. He wouldn't have time to track down one of his other teammates, explain the situation, and get them back here with no one being the wiser. If only there were someone closer…

"If I may ma'am," he asked, an idea occurring to him. "Who was it you were speaking to out there?"

She blinked, not expecting the question. "Mr. Diggory has a touch of food poisoning that's all." She explained confused.

Oliver let out a relieved sigh. Cedric Diggory was a good, trustworthy guy. "Would it be possible to have him sit with Harry in the Hospital? Only, with the bond so new…" he explained.

She nodded in understanding, she should have considered that. There mating was brand new, in fact now that she was thinking about it. Oliver was being very agreeable for a freshly mated Alpha. She chalked it up to Potter's immense Magical reserves. Oliver instinctively knew that Harry could defend himself if the need arose, but he still wanted to be sure. There was safety in numbers after all.

"You do realize that I am sitting right here?" Harry said pointing at himself. "I am perfectly capable of handling myself."

"Of course you are Harry, I'm not doubting that," Oliver explained quickly, not wanting Harry to think that he was viewed as an object.

"Rather sounds like you do," Harry said petulantly.

"Mr. Potter," Pomfrey said gaining both boys attention. "what Mr. Wood is concerned about is not that you are unable to defend yourself, but rather, that should you shouldn't need to. You must understand, with your mating so new, he is going to be very protective of you." She explained. Though, she did have to wonder how Harry would react when he saw how protective his mates would be when he fell pregnant.

Harry seemed to be weighing his options. "Is Cedric…"

"Mr. Diggory is, in fact, a Dominant, a Dominant Beta to be precise. However, if you are concerned about him potentially attempting to mate you, there is no need to worry. If you are indeed, in need of more mates, then the signs will be revealed within the coming weeks. Until that time, no Formal mating can commence." She explained patiently but made sure to emphasize the word Formal.

Casual sex, as well as the entering of Formal and Casual Courtships, were still feasible outside of the Heat cycle. Ideally, if this hadn't have happened as it did, Wood most likely would have asked Harry for a Courtship. Which would have lasted until Harry felt ready for a mating. At that time, they then would have come off the suppressant and sequestered themselves away, along with any other mates they were bringing into their circle until the Heat finally hit.

Harry scowled for a moment, still not liking the idea of needing to be protected, but in the end, he let out a huff in frustration. "If Cedric doesn't mind coming and staying with me in the Hospital, then fine. But I don't want to force him to do anything." Harry finally agreed.

"Excellent, Mr. Wood, why don't you go and speak to him, I'll stay here and cover what I can with Mr. Potter." She said.

Oliver nodded before kissing Harry on his temple and walking out. Ignoring the bright blush that now covered Harry's face.

"Now then, Mr. Potter." Pomfrey began once they were alone. "Do you have any questions for me?" She asked

Harry fidgeted in his seat. "Does the fact that I'm an Omega mean I have no rights now? It's only that, you both made it sound as though I don't…"

"I do apologize if that is what we made you believe. But, allow me to assure you, that you have rights, Mr. Potter. I dare say if it actually weren't for the potion all those years ago. You might not." She said with a small smile.

"What do you mean?" Harry asked confused.

"Remember, the potion makes a Submissive look like a Dominant, and most of the purebloods in Britain were feeding it to at least one of their children. It didn't take long for the Ministry to be filled with Submissives masquerading as Dominants. Once they realized just how many of them there were, there was no question of what they should do. They flipped the scales, as it were, making it so that it was the first-born Child, not the firstborn Dominant, who would inherit. They gave Submissives freedom to live their lives as they wanted, without fear of Dominant retribution." She explained for him, seeing that the story seemed to amuse him.

"So, the Dominants wanted to retain control, and tried to force their kids into a mold, and ended up doing the opposite of what they wanted?" Harry asked amused. Oh, the irony.

"Quite so," she commented. "Do you have any other questions for me?"

Harry hesitated for a moment, shuffling his feet beneath his seat. "How likely is it that I'm pregnant?" Harry asked nervously.

"Highly unlikely," she answered easily. "A first mating, especially when the participants are as young as you, almost never produce a child. I suspect that you won't have to worry about children until around your 15th birthday." She explained for him, seeing him deflate in relief. She couldn't blame him for that.

"Anything else?"

Harry licked his lips. "will I need more than one mate? Only, Ron was telling me how his Brother Bill was estimated to need at least two mates, and his girlfriend had left him because she didn't want to be in a three-way relationship."

Pomfrey sighed in resignation. "Although I can't tell you how many you will need Mr. Potter, I can promise you that you will need more than two." She gazed at him, so young and unprepared to deal with all this nonsense. "You are already quite powerful magically, to begin with, but when you add the effects of the potion into the equation…"

"It makes it worse." He finished for her.

She nodded. The Healers at Saint Mungos would be able to tell him more than she could.

—-oO|||Oo—-

Oliver left the office and made his way over to the bed where Cedric was waiting. Poking his head around the corner, he saw the younger man lying on the bed there, staring at the ceiling.

"Hey Diggory," he greeted catching his attention.

"Wood? What are you doing here?" Diggory asked sitting up on his elbows.

Oliver winced, how was he supposed to explain this? "I uh...I need a favor…" he said.

Cedric blinked. "Okay, what is it?" He asked sitting up more fully.

"There's a, um, situation." The Gryffindor explained nervously. "Long story short, I kind of mated a third year." He finally said, rushing it out. It's like a band-aid, just rip it off and don't think about it!

"You what?" Cedric asked in a deadly tone.

Oliver quickly backpedaled. "It's not what you think! He presented as an Omega-"

"So you just decided to MATE HIM!?" Cedric growled standing up, fully prepared to beat the Alpha into a bloody paste.

"Of course not." He exclaimed appalled. "He presented in the shower, and he didn't have the suppressant in his system. I didn't have any more choice in the matter than he did." Oliver said, holding his hands up in a gesture of peace.

The Hufflepuff looked at him disbelievingly. "How would that even be possible?" He asked suspiciously.

Wood sighed. "We're not really sure, but I need to go with Madame Pomfrey to meet with the Board of Governors. And I need someone to go with him to the hospital while they check him over." He explained.

Cedric looked at him in thought, "Why me?" He asked. "I may not be an Alpha like you, but I am a Dominant, aren't you afraid I might make a move on your new mate?"

Oliver snorted. "You and I both know the chances of you doing anything dishonorable like that is nil." He explained plainly, stating it as fact. "There are few people in this castle that I feel I could trust with this, and you're the closest one available on that list."

Cedric sighed in resignation, his reputation was too well known. Oliver was right, he would never even consider trying to steal his submissive, both because it was just wrong to do so, and because the individual was only 13. 13-year-olds didn't need to be pulled into battles between Dominants.

"I'll do it," he agreed. "But I'm not entirely sure what good it's going to do. I'm only a Beta, and I'm not even mated to this third year. Most Alphas who are either arrogant or stupid enough to make a move on someone else's mate, aren't going to give a shit about me."

Oliver thought about that for a moment, "What if we make it look like you're courting him?" he suggested. "I'm not worried about the actual Healers, who are the only ones who would actually know the truth about the situation. It's the other patients who are there that concerns me."

"Not a bad Idea, except they'll be able to tell we're lying if they can't pick up on any-...oh now wait a minute!" he said in realization putting his hands up. "I don't mind looking out for this Omega, but I can't just enter into a Courtship with someone I don't know! Besides," he said blushing. "I kind of have feelings for someone else…"

Wood sighed. "The Courtship doesn't have to last dummy. We set it up for appearance's sake, and let it fade. You'll be back to being single in no time. And besides, you do know him," he said looking around the curtain to make sure no one was there. "It's Harry." He stage-whispered.

Diggory's eyes widened. "What? No, there's no way, he has to be a Dominant...if he's an Omega then…"

"Hey what's the matter you're acting as if-...wait. Do you, like Harry?" Oliver asked startled.

Diggory's blush gave him away

"I'm so sorry, I promise I won't make a move! He's mated now, I'm sure he won't want anything to do with me."

"Oh don't be a Dunce Diggory." Oliver snapped. "Even I know Harry's gonna need more than one mate to ground his magic. Like I said before, there is a very short list of people in this school I would trust with him."

"Yeah but,"

"But nothing. In the end, it's Harry's decision, but I don't have a problem if you want to present him with the option." Wood cut him off.

Cedric smiled. "Thanks."

"Oh, don't thank me, He's in a right mood right now. Personally, I think I have the less dangerous job." wood countered earning a laugh from the Hufflepuff Seeker.

"But I am curious... If you thought he was a Dominant, what were you going to do? Hope he turned out to be an Alpha? You're a Dominant Beta, aren't you? And you're both from Noble lines. You do realize that means you would have had to be the bearer, right?"

Diggory blushed. "It's not a sexual attraction, Wood. I Don't really know why I like him the way I do, I just do." that was partially a lie. But he wasn't going to profess all the things that he loved about Harry to his first Alpha mate. Can you say awkward much?

"Well, I suppose that's fine, but there is one other little detail Diggory," Wood pointed out with a glint in his eye. "You do realize that if Harry chooses to accept you into his mate circle, you'll not just be with him, right? You'll end up having to submit to me, as well as any other Alpha that Harry may bring in." Wood pointed out. He personally wouldn't mind bringing the attractive Beta into bed with he and Harry. In fact, the thought of fucking Diggory as he fucked Harry was...Exciting. But he would never force anyone into anything. If Diggory wasn't comfortable with him being on top during Heat periods, then this wouldn't work.

Cedric cleared his throat in an attempt to cover his blush. "I had been prepared to let Harry take me when I thought he was an Alpha."

"I'm not Harry," Oliver pointed out. "That's how mating works Cedric. You won't just be with Harry, you'll be mating with me as well. Are you okay with that? This isn't a 'you join and you're just with Harry' deal. If he lets you mate him, you'll have to let me mate you, or this is all going to fall apart."

"Are you asking me if I have feelings for you?"

"I am asking you if you can develop them for me. I know I don't like you like that right now, but I also know that I can grow to. Can you say the same?"

Diggory remained silent for a moment. "I think I know a way to test it…"

Wood looked confused. "How?"

Diggory sighed. "You want me to enter into a Courtship with Harry, right?"

"Right,"

"But as you pointed out, I wouldn't be courting just Harry," he said.

Wood blinked. "Oh,"

"Is that weird?"

"No, I just hadn't thought of it is all," he said honestly. A formal Courtship would give them the chance to test the waters and see where they all stood. "Do you want to do this now, or..."

Entering into a Formal courtship between Dominants was a little different. When a Dominant and a submissive entered into one, their magic was released, and the question was asked. If a positive response was given, then their magic would form the temporary Courtship bond. If a negative response was given, then their magic would be drawn back into their bodies and that would be the end of it.

For Dominants, things were a little more physical. There had to be some form of a battle for dominance in order to establish who would be 'on top', as it were. The actions varied depending on how serious the courtship was. It was commonplace, for example, for two Alphas to arm wrestle. An easy show of Dominant superiority. This, however, was typically only used for a casual courtship. A relationship with no strings attached. It was a method of testing the waters to see if something could come of it. But Cedric wasn't an Alpha, and what he was seeking was a bit more intimate than a casual Courtship. That meant it would need something more intimate to initiate a proper bond.

"Now's as good a time as any, especially since there isn't anyone watching…" Cedric said blushing.

Oliver smiled as he stepped forward. "If you're sure," he said holding out a hand.

Cedric hesitantly took his hand in his and stepped into the Alpha's embrace. The two looked at one another for a moment. Then Oliver moved in, his soft lips caressing against Cedric's, and letting his magic wander towards the other boy. Cedric returned the kiss, allowing his own magic to intermingle with Oliver's. The two forces clashed for a moment, seemingly reflecting the battle for dominance in the kiss. Then, after a moment, Cedric finally submitted. Allowing Oliver's tongue to have free access to his mouth. His own tongue lightly rubbing against his encouragingly. He hated to admit it, but Oliver was a damn good kisser. And having an Alpha Dominate him, even in this small way, was even more invigorating than he had imagined.

When the two finally split, as was typical in the forming of a Formal Courtship between Dominants, they each received a small flash. A mental image, almost like a photo, from each other's life. A gift from their magic to grant better insight into one another's character. Cedric saw an image of wood receiving his first broom from his Mother on a Christmas Morning. He was only twelve and surrounded by family and friends. And there was an emotion there, one Cedric recognized immediately. It was love. Wood might be fanatical about Quidditch, but he had so much love in his life and wanted to share it.

The image Oliver received was of a much younger Cedric sitting in his bed as his father told him a story. He wasn't sure what it was about, but the huge grin on Cedric's face as his Father made some stupid exaggerated face and walked around like a Gorilla conveyed that he enjoyed it. And several emotions came through in this image as well. First, there was love, not a surprising emotion considering the memory. Another was something akin to reverence. Cedric idolized his Father in many ways and wanted to be like him. But there was another emotion there too. One that didn't seem to belong in such a happy scene. It was loneliness, Cedric had a deep sense of loneliness in his life. He hid it quite well, but it was there. He adored his Father, but even Wood knew that Amos Diggory held Cedric on a high pedestal. In his eyes, Cedric could do no wrong. So yes, Cedric Idolized his Father, but he couldn't relate to him. Oliver decided right then and there, that he would not let the boy feel lonely ever again.

-oOlllOo-

Harry sat glaring at the far wall in the examination room as Cedric stood awkwardly next to him. Harry had agreed to the Formal Courtship, although, Cedric had asked Wood if he could not tell Harry about his intentions just yet. He wanted to be the one to discuss it with him later. but it didn't seem like he was happy about the Courtship at all. And that, more than anything, bothered him.

"Um, Harry?"

"I'm not mad at you Cedric," Harry said simply. "I am just sick and tired of every big decision in my life being made for me."

Cedric grimaced. "Harry, that's not what we were trying to do."

"I know that!" he snapped. "but it doesn't change the fact that no one even thought to talk to me first! I didn't get to choose my first mate myself, I didn't really get to choose if I wanted you to Court me, I didn't even have a choice on whether to come here or not! When am I going to be able to decide what happens in my own God Damned Life!" he said slamming a fist onto the exam table he was sitting on.

Cedric swallowed a lump in his throat. "What can I do to make it better?" he asked finally.

"I just want people to talk to me, and not just ignore what I'm saying out of hand. I'm tired Cedric, I'm just so tired of trying to be what everyone else wants me to be. Why can't I decide what I want to be?" he said more calmly now, his exhaustion becoming more obvious.

Not knowing what else to do, Cedric began rubbing his back. He had no idea that Harry had felt this way. How could he? Harry always put on a brave face and took on any challenge. It was easy to forget sometimes that he really was only 13. At 13 you were supposed to be thinking about your first crush, worrying about homework and how you were spending your time out of class. Not worrying about Dark Wizards coming to kill you, or people drugging you with a potion that made you look like the wrong gender. Harry's life was a hodgepodge of shit, and someone was going to answer for it.

Harry found himself leaning ever closer to the warmth of Cedric's body. He felt so drained. The Healer had come in and cast a few spells then left. Then he had come back to take a few samples from Harry and he hadn't returned since. Being angry and frustrated was so draining. He just wanted to curl up in a bed and never get up again. Cedric's hand felt nice, he idly wondered if the taller boy would give a good back massage but wrote that off quickly. The Courtship was just a front, Cedric wouldn't really be interested in him, not in a million years. Still, it was a nice fantasy. He could see it in his mind even now, watching as Oliver defiled Cedric in front of him, then having Cedric have his way with him. He wouldn't deny, it was a bit of a turn on.

Just then, the Healer returned. "Alright boys, I have some good news, and some not so good news, which do you want first?"

Harry sighed. "Give me the bad news first."

"Very well," the Healer said. Pulling out a clipboard from his pocket and flipping its pages. "first off in the bad news portion, is that the Elixir has been in your system for so long, there really is nothing we can do to neutralize its effects."

"Wonderful, does that mean I'm still going to look like a Dominant?"

"Yes, although some of those features may fade with time, and if we can ascertain who has been giving it to you, we can prevent the effects from going any further. As things stand now, we expect you to reach a height somewhere between 5'9" and 6'2". Your muscles will most likely always be more pronounced than normal, whether this will affect you during a pregnancy, we don't know yet." The Healer explained.

Harry closed his eyes, drawing strength from the now still hand resting on his back. "What else?"

"Next off we have the reading we got from your magic stability tests." The Healer began with a grimace. "They weren't pretty. We use a seven-color scale to determine someone's magical stability and power. Normally, a person with a high amount of power is more stable, placing them in the Violet category."

"Okay…"

"Now Normally a person with Low Power who is highly unstable falls into the green category. That means, for the most part, violet, navy, sky, and green are all safe colors for the most part."

"But that's only four colors," Cedric stated with narrowed eyes.

The Healer nodded. "Yellow, Orange, and Red are unique. They are individuals who have unusually high power and a lack of stability. Yellow being the lowest risk in the set."

"Let me guess, I'm in the Red," Harry said with a deadpan expression.

"I'm sorry, yes. Until now, the only other cases we've seen in the Red were Obscurials. So, you can understand our concern here."

"Can it be fixed?" Cedric asked.

"It can. For now, we'll supply you with stabilizing charms that you should wear when you are planning to perform any future spells. If you manage to collect enough mates, however, the charms may no longer be needed."

"And how many mates, exactly, do I need?" Harry asked with a tiny glare.

The Healer sighed resigned. "We estimate between 5 and 6."

Cedric did a double take. The needing of three mates was considered rare. But five or six? That was unheard of.