Party time! (Well, sort of.) I got really curious about what would happen at the ball, and I started writing, and then the plot just sort of took over. The chapter also ended up much longer than I originally expected it to be. I'm going to do my best to keep the rest of the chapters at the same length as this chapter, but I can't guarantee anything.

I wanted to thank y'all for the feedback - it's been a really great motivator - and I thought the best way to show my gratitude was by posting another chapter for you.

As always, enjoy! (and I feel like a little kid for posting this, but feedback is like cookies!)

Chapter 9

Harry walked into the ballroom behind James, tugging uncomfortably on his robes. He'd settled on dark green silk dress robes, which were lined in a dark charcoal color, but he still couldn't shake the feeling that he looked like he was wearing a dress. Rose had seemed to take a great deal of delight in his discomfort, and she'd teased Harry relentlessly after learning the reason behind it. James had thought it almost entertaining, even though Harry did his best not to react to the taunts, and he had even joined Rose in a few particularly vicious barbs. Lily only intervened just before a fight broke out between the two, telling James to take Harry with him, and that she and Rose would come to the ball with the Weasley family, whoever they were.

The ballroom was still relatively empty, as only a few dozen people had arrived at the party so far. Harry didn't see Lily or Rose, at least, and he took a great deal of comfort in that.

In one of the far corners of the room, Harry saw the distinctive blond hair of the Malfoys that he'd met earlier that day, and he started in their direction in the hopes that Draco wouldn't mind being used as a buffer to keep James away from Harry. He didn't make it more than a few steps before James grabbed hold of the back of Harry's dress robes and all but hauled him back to his side.

"Where do you think you're going?" James asked, eyeing Harry suspiciously.

"I'm thirsty?" Harry tried, hoping the man wasn't planning on keeping him on a leash all night.

James frowned slightly before nodding. "Don't stray too far," he said. "I want to introduce you to a few people before the party really gets started," he said.

Harry nodded and, well aware that James was watching him, made his way over to the bar on the left side of the room. He was about to order a glass of water from the bartender when he felt a hand land on his shoulder and he turned around to face whoever had approached him.

"You look rather dashing this evening, Harrison," Beth said, smiling when the compliment made the boy blush a bright red.

"Thank you, Beth," Harry said before falling silent. "James has me on a leash tonight, so I don't think I'm going to be able to be your escort."

She nodded. "I had expected as much. He's going to do his best to introduce you to the more important people in the Ministry this evening," she said. "If you have any questions, I'll be here until around midnight."

Harry smiled up at her, grateful for the offer. "Thank you," he said. He looked at the dress that she was wearing and grinned. "You're wearing gray and green?" he asked.

"I have to do something to show that I am supportive of my best student."

"I thought I was your only student," Harry said, frowning slightly.

"So you are," Beth mused with a smirk. "Oh, before I forget," she said, reaching into her clutch and pulling out a pair of plain black gloves that looked to be a size or two too small for her.

"But you're already wearing gloves," Harry said, looking pointedly at the charcoal gloves that covered Beth's hands.

"I am well aware of that, thank you. These are a gift for you, you daft child," she said with quiet laughter. "You'll find that, no matter how many of these balls you attend, your father is likely going to brag about having you with him, and it is, quite frankly, nauseating to think of how many people do not wear gloves." At the confused look on Harry's face, she smirked. "Sweaty hands, child, and with all the people you'll be meeting this evening, you'll find that these will come in handy. Pardon the pun."

Harry grinned and pulled them on. They were a perfect fit, and when he said as much, Beth only laughed again.

"Of course they're perfect for you," she said. "I make sure to know a few things about my student when I insist on lavishing him with gifts."

"Thank you, Beth!" Harry said happily, hugging her in gratitude. She cleared her throat after a moment and he bit back a smirk as he took a step back, bowed his head to her, and kissed the back of her gloved hand. "Thank you," he said again, though this time in a much calmer tone of voice.

"It isn't a secret that you like younger men, Elizabeth, but isn't this one a few too many years on the wrong side of legal for you?" a new, male voice asked as two people walked up.

Beth turned around to look at the newcomer, and she looked rather amused when she saw that it was Lucius Malfoy and his son. "I would tell you to bite your tongue, Lucius, but it seems as though you've already given away my secret," she said.

"I'm sure you've got plenty more hidden away," Lucius said silkily, a smirk coming to his face.

Harry frowned slightly and looked between Beth and Lucius, not sure exactly what was going on between them.

Draco caught his attention before he had time to figure it out, though. "Dress robes look good on you, Harrison," he said with a grin. "I see you've escaped the Potter's hold."

"You two have met before?" Beth asked, looking over at Harry.

He nodded. "In passing at Madame Malkin's," he said before he realized that Lucius was watching him with an almost critical eye. He hesitantly met the silver gaze of the older man, falling silent when he realized that there was a glint of what almost looked to be… amusement in the man's eyes. "Hello, sir," he said quietly. When Lucius quirked an eyebrow at him, he extended a hand toward the man. "I'm Harrison Donahue," he said.

Lucius nodded and took his hand. "Lucius Malfoy. My son tells me that you're James Potter's son?" he asked.

Harry nodded, taking his hand back and briefly glancing up at Beth for reassurance.

She smiled slightly at him before turning around and ordering a drink from the bar.

"Yes, sir," Harry said. "I was left with Muggles until I was ten years old, and then he came to get me and Beth has made sure that I've learned everything I missed out on while I was with the Muggles," he said.

Lucius nodded, looking more than slightly intrigued.

Before either Harry or Lucius could say anything, though, James jogged up to the group. "Kid, what the hell do you think you're doing, talking to the wrong sort?" he asked, pulling Harry a few steps away from Lucius.

"What do you mean, the wrong sort?" Harry asked, his eyes narrowing at his father.

"Beth has clearly been neglectful in her lessons if you don't know why you should stay as far away from Malfoy and his brat as possible," he said coldly.

"Draco's not a brat," Harry said, glaring up at his father. Out of the corner of his eyes, he saw Draco sneer at James' back before Lucius admonished him with a mild glare. "And Beth has taught me plenty," he said. "Enough that I know that the Malfoy family has been exonerated of any crimes you might have accused them of," he said.

James opened his mouth to say something else, but Harry glared at the man, cutting off whatever he was about to say.

"We were getting along just fine until you butted in, but if you'd like to start a scene and make your prejudices clear to everyone here, I'm more than willing to start yelling," Harry suggested. He smirked up at James, practically daring the man to say something else.

James scowled, but said nothing for a moment. "Fine," he snapped finally. "Do not allow yourself to be tainted by their kind. I will not have you turning Dark on me."

"Mister Potter, if your son's magic is more Dark-oriented, I assure you that it will have absolutely nothing to do with his associating with the Malfoy family," Beth said in an almost sing-song tone of voice. "I would advise against arguing with your son any further, as you're already getting more than a few stares," she said. "It would likely be a good idea for you to find your wife and daughter," she added when James didn't immediately start walking away.

"I'll be fine," Harry said coldly. "I managed ten years without you, James. Neither of us are going to have a good night if you insist on babysitting me," he said, sounding much older than his not-quite eleven years.

James scowled. "Be careful how you address me, kid," he said, though he was eyeing Harry almost warily. "I am your father, and I will not be disrespected so easily."

"Clearly we disagree on that," Harry said.

"I'll find you again in two hours. Do not embarrass me," James snapped.

"Wouldn't dream of it," Harry purred, a glacial look in his eyes as he watched James' retreat. As soon as the man was out of earshot, Harry looked over at Draco and Lucius. "I'm sorry you had to see that," he said, blushing slightly at the look on Lucius' face.

"I'm actually rather impressed," Beth said as she sipped her cocktail. She looked over at Lucius and smirked. "You look like you're plotting something," she said.

He looked over at her, arching an eyebrow when he noticed the neon blue color of her drink. "I thought you were better than martinis," he said, looking more amused than disapproving.

"I cannot help it if you have no creativity when it comes to your choice in drinks," she said. "I'll let the three of you get to know each other better, but Lucius, take care to remember that Harrison is my student, and I will not stand for anyone knowingly putting him in danger," she said.

Harry frowned, glancing between Beth and Lucius.

"Harry, just yell for me if you need me," she said before curtsying to Lucius. When he nodded slightly to her, she smiled to the two of them and walked away.

"Father?" Draco asked.

Lucius seemed to already know what Draco wanted to ask of him, as he nodded. "As long as you do not annoy Harrison or do anything to embarrass the Malfoy name, you are free to introduce Harrison to your friends," he said, glancing over at Harry before looking at his son. "If you see your mother, make sure you let her know that Elizabeth is traipsing around here," he said, in a much quieter voice.

Draco nodded before looking over at Harry. "Come on," he said.

Harry smiled and motioned for Draco to lead the way.

As the boys walked away, Lucius suddenly found himself in the company of another man, and though he was cloaked with an incredibly powerful Glamour, he knew immediately who the man was. "It's a lovely evening tonight, isn't it, my-"

"Finish that sentence and I will not hesitate to remove your tongue, regardless of our company," came the quietly hissed response. "You are well aware of my alias for these… events," he said, clearly expressing his distaste with the general atmosphere in the ballroom.

"My apologies, then, Lord Salvatore," Lucius said, bowing his head to the man. "I was not expecting to see you here this evening."

"Word has reached me that the Potter family has suddenly reacquired their son and my interest was piqued," the man said as he stepped forward half a step.

Lucius frowned slightly. "The boy has not been informed about why the Potters got rid of him in the first place," he said. "He knows enough about our world, but Elizabeth and I have spoken a few times. She believes that the Potters are deliberately keeping the boy in the dark about certain things," he said.

"That may serve to work in my favor," Salvatore mused quietly. "I need to speak with a few other people, but I would appreciate the chance to speak with the boy myself before I leave this evening," he said.

Without looking over at the man, Lucius nodded. "I will do my best, Lord Salvatore," he said.

"Do not risk making a scene with Potter or his wife this evening. If the boy does not want to speak with me this evening, do not force him," he said.

Lucius nodded. "Enjoy your evening, Lord Salvatore," he said before bowing his head to the man and walking away.

…

Harry glanced over his shoulder, curious as to who Lucius was speaking with. "Draco?" he asked. "Who's the man with your father?" he asked.

"Is he the same height as my father, with brown hair and green eyes?" Draco asked, not looking behind himself.

"I can't tell about his eyes, but he's wearing black robes that are trimmed in green," Harry said. "Your father almost looked afraid of him for a moment."

"Oh. Him," Draco said with a half-smile. "That's Lord Salvatore. He's a business partner of my father's, and he's from a very old, very powerful family," he said. "I've only seen him mad once, and my father almost ended up dead because of that," he added before coming to a stop in front of a few other children about their age.

"Draco?" a dark-skinned boy asked, looking over at Harry.

"I've found my newest favorite toy," Draco said, turning a playful grin at Harry.

"Excuse me?" Harry asked, taking half a step away from Draco and preparing himself to leave the group.

The dark-skinned boy laughed and draped an arm over Harry's shoulders, stopping his retreat before he could get too far. "You'll have to excuse Draco," he drawled, his foreign accent intriguing Harry. "He's spoiled beyond belief, and most people who don't know him tend to see him only as a pompous little git. He enjoys taking advantage of that, and it's worked in his favor more often than not," he said. "My name is Blaise Zabini," he said with a smirk. "And you are?"

"Harrison Donahue," Harry said. He shifted slightly, not particularly used to the physical contact, but he found that it wasn't overly uncomfortable.

Blaise grinned down at Harry, taking the chance to look him over.

Harry returned the favor, finding the taller boy to be almost… pretty, though there was a definite edge of danger to him as well. His darker skin had him standing out from most of the other wizards in the room, and Harry didn't miss the fact that Blaise seemed much stronger than he looked at first. His eyes were a dark amber color, and his black hair reached his waist. It had been braided tightly and fastened with a gold ribbon. He was wearing dark blue robes, which were trimmed in gold.

When he once again looked up to meet the boy's gaze, he noticed an unidentifiable glint in Blaise's eyes. "Are you alright?" Harry asked hesitantly.

Blaise just continued smirking at Harry, though he did notice that the boy's embrace had tightened a bit.

And then, suddenly, whatever moment they'd had was broken.

Draco pulled Harry out of Blaise's reach, ignoring the boy's growl. "And I'm the git here," he said disbelievingly. "Once you get to know Blaise a little bit better, you'll learn why he's odd. Until then, meet my other two favorites. Pansy Parkinson and Theodore Nott," he said, pointing to a girl with black hair, brown eyes, and an almost uncanny resemblance to one of Harry's Muggle schoolmates, and then to an almost lanky boy with dark brown hair and black eyes. "The two trolls in the back are Vincent Crabbe and Gregory Goyle," he added, motioning at the large boys against the wall, who were currently stuffing their faces with some of the largest cupcakes that Harry had ever seen.

"It's nice to meet all of you," Harry said.

Pansy giggled and looked over at Theodore, who rolled his eyes.

"Don't give this one too much freedom when it comes to flirting with you, otherwise you're likely to end up as her second husband," Theodore said.

"But I'm not even eleven and I don't even like girls," Harry said quietly.

Blaise chuckled, wrapping his arms around Harry's shoulders and pulling him back into an embrace. "That is good to know, Harrison," he purred. "I'll protect you from Parkinson and her wicked female ways."

"Yes, but who's going to protect him from you?" Pansy asked, reaching out to take hold of Harry's arm, but Blaise's sudden growl had her pulling her hand back as though she'd been burned. "Don't frighten him away before we've had our fun, Blaise," she said.

Blaise said nothing, though he did tighten his hold on Harry.

Pansy huffed at the look on Blaise's face. "Draco, darling, let's go find Madame Zabini and let her know that Blaise is being difficult," she said, taking hold of Draco's hand and practically pulling him away.

Theodore eyed Blaise warily. "You're not going to hurt him, are you?" he asked.

"Of course not," Blaise said defensively, though he noticeably relaxed once Draco and Pansy were out of earshot. "He smells delicious, though."

Harry scowled and twisted to look at Blaise. "Why are you smelling me?" he asked.

Theodore sighed. "You are aware that there are more creatures than humans, I would hope," he said quietly.

Harry nodded. "Vampires and werewolves, right?"

"There are more than just those creatures," Theodore said. "Blaise comes from a family of incubi. He matures faster than humans, and in a few years, he's going to be able to identify and claim his mate and then the two of them will sustain themselves pretty much entirely on sex," he said. "Until he reaches that maturity, though, he has a tendency to act rather possessive of anyone who smells good to him."

Harry nodded slightly. "Is that how you find your mate, with the way they smell?" he asked.

Blaise hummed quietly before nodding.

"Once he gets used to you, he'll lighten up, but he's probably going to be this possessive for the first few times you're around him," he said.

"How do you know so much about this?"

"After the first time this happened, Blaise made sure that at least one of us knew about what he was, as long as we didn't broadcast the news," he said. "And besides, I was in your position when Blaise and I met, when we were both seven years old," he said. "He still gets possessive of me, from time to time," he added with a sideways glance at the incubus.

Harry glanced over his shoulder at Blaise, more than slightly surprised when he noticed that the boy's eyes had lightened to a gold color when he met Theodore's gaze. "Am I in danger?" he asked hesitantly, not wanting to somehow offend or provoke the darker boy.

Blaise shook his head slightly. "Just don't make any sudden moves, please," he said quietly before dropping his head to rest his forehead in the crook of Harry's neck. "I'm sorry about this," he said quietly in a voice that only Harry could hear.

"It's alright," Harry replied, just as quietly. "As long as you don't hurt me, I'll be fine," he said. "And I'll try not to make any sudden movements."

Blaise nodded slightly, not lifting his head up.

Theodore smiled slightly at Harry when he shifted positions again. "Once he's passed the possessive stage with you, he's one of the best friends that you'll find," he said.

Harry nodded again and allowed himself to relax into the rather comfortable embrace of the incubus.

…

About an hour later, Harry found that he was more comfortable with Draco and his friends than he had been in his eight months with the Potters. If he thought about it, he was even more comfortable here than he had been when he lived with his Muggle relatives, no matter how much he cared for them. He and Blaise had retreated to the back of their group, and they were both sitting in a large red armchair. Blaise was the one paying more attention to the conversations taking places, as Harry kept halfway drifting off in the embrace that Blaise had refused to release him from.

Shouting in the main part of the hall caught their attention, immediately jerking Harry awake, and most of the occupants throughout the hall fell silent to see what was happening. Harry sat up a bit, watching the argument taking place.

"Oh, good," Draco said, sitting up a bit in his chair. He smirked when he noticed the confused look on Harry's face. "These things are always more interesting when someone gets drunk and starts an argument," he said.

"Oh," Harry said, looking back over at the main part of the hall. When he noticed that James was part of the argument, he tensed. That action had Blaise tightening his hold on Harry, growling quietly. Harry hoped the sound was meant to be reassuring, but it still sent shivers down his spine.

"Don't get ahead of yourself," Theodore said, sending a warning look in Blaise's direction before looking over at Harry. "If he gets too angry and he decides that he needs to protect you from something or someone, he's going to be uncontrollable until he decides that the threat is taken care of," he said. "And depending on how much he likes you, it's likely that it could end with dead bodies," he added, making sure that Harry understood him completely before he turned most of his attention back to the center of the ballroom and the argument taking place.

Harry hesitated for a moment before nodding. He took a deep breath to calm himself down before looking over at Blaise.

"Are you alright?" Blaise asked in a quiet, almost dangerous voice.

"Yes," Harry said. "Calm down, please. There's no reason for you to get upset." When Blaise eyed him suspiciously, he offered the boy a small smile. "I promise, everything is fine," he said.

Blaise nodded hesitantly before relaxing a bit, and both he and Harry turned their attention back to the argument.

James was still in the middle of the argument, and he was backed up by a small herd of redheads. He and the redheads were yelling at a blonde woman and two of her friends, and Harry thought he saw Beth flittering around the edge of the argument, looking far too calm for Harry to be comfortable.

"Who are the redheads?" Harry asked.

"That would be some of the Weasley family," Draco said, sounding irritated at the mere mention of the family name.

"Only some?" Harry asked in disbelief.

"They've bred the common sense out of their line, and none of them have done anything useful for our world," he said. "At least, that's what my father tells me," he said with a shrug. He leaned forward a bit. "The twins are the only ones that are at least mildly entertaining, but I don't see them," he added.

Harry nodded slightly. He heard someone walking up to them and he looked around to see Beth walking up to them. "Is everything alright?" he asked once she was in earshot.

"I need to take you out of the ballroom. Now," she said, a tense tone in her voice that had Harry immediately on edge.

He stiffened a bit and Blaise growled again. "Blaise," Harry said, shifting slightly so he could look Blaise in the eye. "Let me go," he said gently.

When the darker boy showed no sign of releasing him, Theodore reached over and rested a hand on Blaise's arm. "Blaise," he said in a calm yet dominant tone. Blaise immediately looked over at Theodore with bright gold eyes. "Harrison is with his tutor, and she will make sure that he is kept safe," Theodore said, making sure that Blaise understood what he was saying. "Let go of Harrison," he said.

Blaise did as told, slowly releasing his hold on Harry.

Once Harry was on his feet and completely out of Blaise's hold, he looked over at Theodore. "Thank you," he said.

Theodore nodded back to Harry even as he allowed Blaise to pull him into a tight embrace.

"Are you going to be alright?" Harry asked.

Theodore smiled and leaned back in Blaise's embrace. "I'm fine," he said. "I'll see you at the next Ministry event that our parents drag us to, or I'll see you at Hogwarts," he said.

Harry nodded. "I look forward to it," he said.

Beth looked over at Draco. "You should find your father," she said quietly.

"What's going on?" Draco asked.

"Potter has decided to accuse Narcissa and some of her friends of being allied with the Dark Lord, as well as conspiring to destroy the Ministry from the inside out," Beth said. "She's not reacting well to those accusations," she said.

Draco was immediately on his feet. "Thank you, Beth," he said. "I'll see you later, Harry," he said before slipping into the crowd of people, looking for his father.

"Come along, Harry," Beth said. She took hold of Harry's hand and started to pull him from the room.

"What's going on?" Harry asked. "Why are we leaving?"

"Your father's beyond drunk," Beth said. "And he's set to further ruin the Potter reputation. Since everyone is aware that you're back with the family, but you've still got a different last name, your reputation is relatively untainted, and I want to keep it that way for as long as possible."

"I don't understand," Harry said as he and Beth practically jogged into the garden outside the ballroom.

Once they were by a bench, Beth turned to look at him. "There are a number of things in this country that have been removed from your father's reach because of his repeated behavior that's served to tarnish the Potter reputation," she said. "I do not want you to have any avenues shut down for you, so to speak. Part of ensuring the preservation of your reputation involves making sure that it's clear that you don't support James' actions, which is why we left the room as soon as you recognized James as part of the argument," she said.

"So how long do you want me to wait out here?" Harry asked.

"Just a few minutes," she said. "I'm going to find Lily and let her know that I'm taking you back to Potter Manor early."

Harry nodded and took a seat on the bench. "I'll wait here," he said.

Beth smiled at him. "Thank you, Harry," she said before heading back inside.

Harry looked around the garden, taking in the sight of various plants and trees under the night sky.

"It is rather beautiful out here, isn't it? Even moreso at night, I think," a stranger's voice said as Harry looked around the garden.

He jumped rather impressively and turned around to look at the man who had seemingly appeared from nowhere. He looked the man over and smiled slightly when he recognized the man. "You're Lord Salvatore, right?" he asked. "I saw you speaking with Draco's father earlier," he added by way of explanation.

The man bowed slightly, making a vague flourishing motion with his hands as he did so. "It is a pleasure, little Donahue," he said.

"You know who I am?" Harry asked, standing up as the man walked around the bench to stand in front of him.

"You caught my attention, little Donahue," he said, absently running his fingers along Harry's jaw. "And I make sure to be informed about the people who catch my attention. It happens so rarely now."

"Then, if you already know my name, what do you want from me?"

"This is merely an introduction, little Donahue," he said. "A chance for me to tell you how much I look forward to having an extended conversation with you," he said.

"Really?" Harry asked.

Salvatore smirked, and an odd look came into his eyes. He took hold of Harry's hand and slowly pulled his glove down, pressing a kiss to the palm of Harry's hand. "More than you can imagine, little Donahue," he said. "Though I would request you not spend the entirety of a formal evening wrapped in the embrace of a young incubus again."

"Why?" Harry asked, genuinely curious. He hesitated a moment before taking his hand back and replacing his glove.

"Your scent tells that you already marked by fate, and your destined mate would not appreciate seeing another male draped around you," Salvatore said. "Particularly an incubus."

"How can you tell that? About my scent, I mean?" he asked.

Salvatore smirked again, leaning a bit closer to Harry. "As I said, I make sure that I am well informed about the people that catch my attention," he said. "And as for your mate's jealousy, that is a simple issue."

"How?"

Salvatore chuckled quietly, and he looked like he was about to answer Harry's question when he glanced over the boy's head and saw someone approaching.

Beth hesitated for a brief moment when she noticed who Harry was talking to. "Lord Salvatore," she said as she walked up to the two of them. "This is an unexpected pleasure."

Salvatore nodded once to Beth. "Take good care of the little Donahue," he said.

Beth nodded. "Of course, sir," she said, curtsying slightly to him.

Then, just as quickly as he'd appeared, Salvatore disappeared back into the ballroom.

"Are you alright?" Beth asked. "He didn't threaten you or hurt you, did he?" she asked.

Harry shook his head. "He said he wants to have an extended conversation with me," he said. "Why?"

"He can be dangerous, and not just when he's angry," Beth said. Harry frowned, and she offered him a small smile. "I'm not telling you to avoid the man, but just make sure you're careful when you're alone with him. There are enough rumors about him, and there is no need for you to test the validity of those rumors," she said.

"Alright," Harry said. "Are we Apparating back to Potter Manor?" he asked.

She nodded. "Come here and hold still," she said.

He did as told, and ten seconds later, the two of them had relocated into the sitting room where Beth conducted their lessons.

"I realize that it's not particularly late, being that it's only ten o'clock, but I'm going to bed," she said. "Unless you'd like to stay here and talk about a few things?" she asked.

Harry shook his head. "There's nothing that can't wait till morning," he said before yawning. "I didn't think I was going to be this tired when we got back here, though," he said.

Beth laughed quietly. "You'll find that the first few Ministry events will wear you out quickly, but you'll build up a tolerance for them," she said. "And next time, you won't be able to leave until you give me at least one dance."

He scowled up at her but nodded. "Good night, Beth," he said.

She smiled and pressed a spontaneous kiss to the top of Harry's head. "Sleep well, Harrison," she said as the two of them left the sitting room.

...

Kado was sitting on the bed when Harry walked into the room and immediately started getting undressed. "Did you have a good evening at the Ministry?" he asked.

Harry nodded. "I made some new friends," he said.

"Oh?" Kado asked, perking up a bit.

"James doesn't like them, and one of them is an incubus," Harry said, sitting on the bed next to Kado.

"The first is good news," Kado hissed. "Though the second worries me."

"He's my age, and he seems nice enough," Harry said.

Kado nodded, moving to drape himself around Harry's shoulders. "Be careful of nonhuman creatures that offer their friendship and show no ulterior motives. Demons are not known to befriend humans on a whim, unless you've neglected to tell me that you've got some Fae blood in you," he said.

Harry shrugged. "I'm going to talk to Beth tomorrow about why they left me with Auntie and Uncle, and this time I'm not going to let anyone interrupt the conversation," he said. At Kado's inquisitive hiss, he frowned. "James and Lily have done a decent job at running interference and making sure that I haven't heard that story yet, but if they're still that insistent on me not hearing it, it's got to be something serious," he said.

"Good child," Kado said. "And then you need to make sure that you're prepared for your first year of Hogwarts. You've come far enough in such a short time that I don't want you to fall behind because you're allowing yourself to get overly confident," he said.

Harry nodded before yawning again. "Can we talk more about this tomorrow, Kado?" he asked. "I'm tired."

Kado hissed out a serpentine sort of laughter before moving off of Harry's shoulders, settling instead on the pillow with a permanent warming charm on it. "Sleep well, Harrison," he said quietly.

Harry nodded again, laying down and pulling a few blankets over himself. "Lights," he said quietly, and the lights in the room immediately turned off. He was asleep within minutes