See first chapter for disclaimers and warnings.
RECAP: Harry and Hyacinth inheritance has come in and they're adjusting nicely. In the meantime, Sirius' daughter, Cassie is going through her own complicated inheritance and the last two Pettigrew children received their Hogwarts Letters. While James and Lily are helping out with Cassie, the Twins are sticking their noses into Hunting business, by swiping the official files of all creature types at Hogwarts to see who is who.
POTTER MANOR
"Are there any more Alphas?" Harry snatched Theodore's photograph out from his twin's fingers. "Besides two names that we don't know anything about? This half of the stack only has other ranks."
"Which ones?"
"Betas, Pareyas and such." Harry wrinkled his nose. "How are we supposed to build a Circle anyway?" He turned away from the files, no longer feeling quite as excited about scouring through them as he had a moment ago. "I mean, there's nothing to really explain how we're supposed to go about it—what are we supposed to do?"
"Do?"
"Mum wouldn't even tell us about—you know." Harry waved a hand. Having to mention to his red-faced father that he was exactly like his twin, not averse to being intimate with the opposite sex, had been embarrassing and mortifying in equal measure. It was thing not to mind instinctual urges and another to have to explain them in detail to one's dumbfounded parents.
Hyacinth bit her lip and then flopped down beside him, staring up at the charmed ceiling of her bedroom. "I know." She said, in a small voice. It had only been because she'd insisted that they'd brought the subject up with their parents. Of course, with their given track record, Lily and James didn't exactly know how else to help their children, because the situation was just as new for them as it was for the Twins. "But, for what it's worth, I don't think she really knows?"
"Then what about Dad?" Harry frowned. "He's a pureblood. Surely there was something? I mean, Mum was muggleborn, so it's not her fault."
"He knows even less." Hyacinth sighed. "I found his encyclopedia. Which reminds me, if Mum was muggleborn, why wasn't our dear Aunt Petunia dragel too?"
"And you didn't tell me?" Harry poked her side. "And I don't know. Magic is funny. Maybe it didn't show up 'cause she wasn't magical."
"I guess. And there wasn't anything to tell. It had nothing useful in there at all." Hyacinth said. "Just lots of babble and stuff we knew already, you know, like Circles and stuff and how we're supposed to be almost extinct, no thanks to the ministry and the Creature Hunters."
Harry grimaced. He hated reading about the Creature Hunters in history. They were filled with narrow-minded, bloodthirsty individuals who had been hell-bent on eradicating everything that was not strictly human-esque in nature. They'd been barely curbed when the Veela Council had stood up and launched a counterattack of their own. From there, that particular war had ground to an abrupt halt, for an enraged Veela protecting its mate was not a force to be taken lightly.
"Hey wait—Harry, look at this." Hyacinth had still been perusing the files and now she held up one and shoved it into her twin's hands. "Isn't that who Mum talks about sometimes? Severus Snape?"
Harry gulped. He stared at the photograph that showed the imposing figure of one Severus Snape. Unlike the gangly, broody teenager that Lily Potter had painted him as, this image of Snape was nothing short of imposing. He was scowling fiercely at the photographer and didn't blink at all. He has a thin face, chin-length, pitch-black hair and a rather large beak of a nose. The file recorded him as an unbonded dragel Alpha. His hair seemed to glisten in the light and his eyes were an unfathomable shade of pitch black that seemed to see right through you. "Not interested." He said, faintly.
"I'm not saying that to be-" Hyacinth huffed. "I was just saying, wasn't he who Mum talked about sometimes? The one that Dad doesn't like?"
Harry's brows knitted together as he connected pieces of an invisible puzzle. "I guess that's why he didn't like him," he said, softly. They all knew that James' Gheyo rank atop natural dragel instinct made him twice as fierce and three times as nasty as a feral Veela protecting their mate. In James' case, he had the added bonus of including his children to the mix. His magic, particularly his offensive spellwork was rather impressive, for sheer force if nothing else. If he'd ever had the chance to take up his original career as an Auror, he would have been brilliant. "But if he was an Alpha, why'd he go after Mum? That doesn't make sense, especially if he didn't have a Submissive."
Hyacinth rolled her eyes. "Beats me. He doesn't look that bad though—but I'm not interested either," she said, hastily snapping the folder shut and shoving it aside. "I was just saying, you know."
A faint smile touched Harry's face and he grinned. He could admit to a certain amount of curiosity about Snape, if only to know what had made the man pursue his mother, up until the point where her soulbond had awakened. "Yeah, I know sis." They shared a smile and then he rolled over, finding the touch of humor enough to restore his curiosity. "Any others? I mean, if Mum and Dad are going to throw us out there in the midst of chaos, we should at least know all our options, right?"
"This one's another Slytherin," Hyacinth handed over a folder. "Blaise Zabini? I think he's Italian? Looks cute. The Zabinis' are a sort of neutral family and they are purebloods."
"Not as cute as Theo," Harry said, half-to himself. He missed the knowing look from his twin and turned the picture sideways trying to make sense of it. It seemed as if all the Slytherins he'd seen so far, didn't so much as breathe or blink. Zabini wasn't bad to look at, but he didn't radiate the same Alpha presence as Theo had. "Any others?"
"Millicent Bulstrode, also Slytherin." Hyacinth rolled up to sit on the bed once more, so she wouldn't strain her neck at an awkward angle. "She looks a bit—fierce." She cocked her head to the side. There weren't many to choose from and Millicent was the only other female Alpha registered at Hogwarts. "What'd you think?" Millicent didn't seem to have any feminine features with such a sharp jaw, no cheekbones and tightly cropped haircut. Her glower was fierce and if the file hadn't denoted her as female, Haycinth knew she would have had to double take.
"Don't judge by looks," Harry said, taking the file. He stared at her picture for a few moments and found himself thinking that Millicent had very nice eyes—and she did blink in her photograph. A blink that showed lovely long lashes framing blue-green eyes.
"Cedric Diggory, Hufflepuff." Hyacinth crowed a moment later. "Take a look at this gorgeous hunk of—aw, he's not an Alpha." She gave a puff of air. "That's so not fair."
"What is he?" Harry leaned over, resting his chin on her shoulder to get a better look. Cedric was adorable, as far as looks went. He was certainly a bit softer on the eyes than Theo and Millicent, but perhaps that was a Hufflepuff thing as Megan had certainly been quite gorgeous.
"Beta." Hyacinth said, approvingly. "I guess I could see that, but if he was an Alpha—mmm." She hummed meaningfully.
Harry elbowed her and they dissolved into shared giggles. "Any other Alphas—or nice looking Betas?" He teased.
"Ryan Henry, Gryffindor." Hyacinth shrugged. "Take a looky." She passed him the folder. Ryan was all golden hair and wide blue eyes with a rakish smile deliberately aimed at the photographer. "And Jennifer Dawn, also Gryffindor, is a Beta as well and um, Daphne Greengrass." Jennifer was a redhead with hair such a dark red it hardly seemed natural. Daphne was a brunette with very soft brown eyes. Both young women looked quite lovely and competent. Both were second-years.
"Quite a few dragels for Hogwarts," Harry's brow furrowed together. "Has there ever been this many before? I mean, I thought we were almost extinct. Did something happen?"
"I guess Hogwarts is a safe haven." Hyacinth said, her own thoughtful look mirroring her brother's. "I see what you mean though, that is unusual." She nibbled on her lower lip. "You don't think—Dumbledore might have done something?"
"Dumbledore? Why?"
"I don't know, just a hunch?"
"Again, why?" Harry asked, practically. "Besides the fact that Mum doesn't trust him and Dad's on the fence about it?" James might be on the fence about Dumbledore, but he never ignored Lily's protective urges, as they had proved to be life-saving in more than one situation.
"Well, it would kind of make Hogwarts a better option for us overall, wouldn't it? I mean, you know Mum was thinking about Beauxbatons because they allow Creature-kind in the student body, besides just Veela and technically, we would've been safer over there, out of the reach of whatever. We would've wound up there and you know it, if—if, well, this. We've been on them forever to let us pick Hogwarts, they didn't just change their minds overnight and you know this."
Harry nodded. He did and Hyacinth usually made sense, when she cared to use her head. "You don't think there's something planned, do you?"
"With him?" Harry gave a faint shake of his head. "There has to be. He was sending us off to stay with Aunt Petunia because Mum and Dad were in a healing coma and he was so busy trying to help us, he didn't even try to help the Longbottoms." He scowled, darkly. He had met the Longbottom's only son, Neville, once at a fancy ministry party that his parents couldn't refuse to attend. Young Neville had seemed very small and very sad. Alice and Frank Longbottom were still in St. Mungos, locked into a healing coma ten times worse than the Potters after that dreadful night. The image of poor little Neville had stayed with Harry for quite some time.
"He also had Siri thrown in Azkaban with Uncle Peter and made Aunt Lisa go into premature labor from the stress of it." Hyacinth recalled, her hands fisted in her lap. "Miserable old bugger."
"Hyacinth!" Harry gasped, mock scandalized.
Pale green eyes rolled yet again. "Save it." She said, tartly. "You can't tell me that you don't wish you could give him a good kick in the nuts, no matter how many years it's been."
Harry winced, then snickered. She had him there, because he definitely wouldn't mind. He'd also be sure to use his good boots—with the shiny pointed tips. "Alright, fine. We can take turns though, I'll let you be first."
"Very generous." Hyacinth snickered. "That would be fun, wouldn't it?" She mused. "Eh. Never mind, let's hurry up with these before Aunt Rosie wakes up or we're toast."
"…hurry up with what before Aunt Rosie wakes up?" Rosie's voice sounded from the bedroom door, her arms crossed over her chest, foot tapping. She'd thought the twins were too quiet, but from the sounds of things, she'd just walked in another one of their schemes. She watched now as both Twins froze, guiltily. "You have until the count of three to explain yourselves before-"
"Aunt Rosie, we're not ten anymore!" Hyacinth protested.
"No, but you're still old enough to need some looking after." Rosie shook her head. "One."
"Oh come on!" Hyacinth exclaimed.
"Two."
"Merlin." Harry muttered, sliding off the bed. "We were just curious," he began.
"Yeah. Just curious." Hyacinth took his cue, sliding off the bed to stand with him. They each crossed their fingers behind their backs, wandlessly gathering up the folders and the information dossiers to be hidden beneath a pillow.
Soft brown eyes narrowed faintly. "I may not be dragel," she began ominously. "But I am still very much a mother with all of my faculties intact."
The twins winced in sync. Oops.
And here's the seventh chapter, picking up where the last one was. So now Harry and Hyacinth have had their first view of the two dragel Alphas. Welcome to the new readers and lurkers. I really appreciate the reviews, it's great to know folks are enjoying this spin-off. Enjoy and thanks for reading!
