Chapter 9: Mum Harpy

Disclaimer: I do not own this story, well I sort of own part of it. Harpy Wings owns the ideas, plot and creations from chapters one to thirty-three. She has kindly allowed me to adopt it. The world and characters and settings that you see and remember from the Harry Potter Universe belong to JK Rowling and neither Harpy Wings nor I are making any money from this story. The other characters, The Von Hellfire Family, the Lupin-Black Childern belong to Dray-kun.

Harry flopped gracefully onto the couch and closed his emerald eyes, relaxing against the stuffed cushions. Suddenly a weight fell across his legs causing him to yelp and jump away from a smiling Hermione.

"Yes?" Harry asked grumpily, sulking like a little child.

"I came to see if you were doing any homework." Hermione smiled while using her 'I'm-smart-so-listen-to-me' voice.

"Actually I'm not." Harry hissed then poked his tongue out at her.

Hermione rolled her eyes. "So, when are you starting your project with Malfoy?"

A frown creased Harry's face. "Tonight at eight…"

"Ooohhh sounds like our little boy has a date!" Ginny teased as she wandered over to them and plopped down beside Hermione. "Who is it? Is it your mate?"

"No! It's Malfoy. We were partnered together for an essay project in Potions." Harry growled.

"Malfoy?" Ginny queried in a sulky voice while making a face.

Harry felt his Harpy self growl in anger and knew he needed to get away from the two girls before he lost his temper. "I have to go." He muttered before grabbing his bag and stomping off, not at all understanding why he was upset with Ginny.

Harry wandered around the halls for what seemed ages before finding his way to the Library. After glancing around and seeing only a few students finishing some last minute essays and a table full of Ravenclaws sitting in their corner reading thick books with intense concentration, he decided to enter.

Harry made his way to the back of the Library, his heart racing for no particular reason at all while his Harpy-self purred in anticipation. He pushed the anticipation away and turned the corner to the small hidden table where Draco Malfoy sat writing.

Harry cleared his throat and caught the blond's attention.

"Potter." Draco acknowledged before packing away the book he was writing in.

"So, where do we start?" Harry asked as he pulled out a chair across the table from Draco and sat down.

"We'll choose a potion first." Draco instructed. After pulling out the list of potions they had discussed earlier in class, they settled down to business. They spent some time going over the potions they had to choose from before finally deciding on the 'Soul Binding Potion'. It was a complex potion that would bind two souls together for all eternity.

"This is about the easiest potion on our list." Draco said as he flipped through a thick book, looking for the said potion. "The ingredients are easy enough to get." He looked over at the black haired boy before adding, "The potion is sort of complicated though."

Harry had caught the blond looking at him and lowered his head shyly. He refused to look up and answer Draco; instead, he nodded while playing with the hem of his sleeve. He really was terrible with the whole Potions business.

Draco looked up to see Harry, his head bent, silky fringe falling over his emerald eyes. His breath caught as he thought, 'nobody could possibly look more beautiful'.

The object of his scrutiny was suddenly overwhelmed with unease. Harry's head jerked up and he hit the table, knocking some books onto the carpet and making a 'thud'. He winced.

"Sorry." Harry whispered. He quickly bent down and started gathering them back up.

Draco bent over also, attempting to help. When he did, Harry's hand brushed against his wrist then quickly jerked away.

The friction coursed through Harry's body and his back arched as his wings started to pull through. His shriek of "AAAAHHH!" echoed from one side of the Library to the other as he took off running, pushing past students, and ignoring the angry yelling from the Librarian. He ran straight for the DADA classroom; his wings were coming through fast. By the time he reached Aura, they were almost fully out.

"Harry!" Aura gasped in surprise as Harry dropped to his knees in front of her and his wings burst through. Then, "Harry!" was repeated in an awed voice as the ripped cloth gave way to full fledged Harpy wings spreading out around him like a black cloud.

Harry was panting and could feel sweat roll down his face. He was about to hyperventilate when Aura's cool hand pressed against his cheek, calming him down to the point where he stopped shaking.

"What happened?" She asked quietly.

Harry shook his head. He was shivering like ice had been poured over him. He was unable to answer her, he just kept seeing flashes of white; his Harpy self was overly excited, on a happy-high as he purred. Eventually, a low purr escaped Harry's lips, causing Aura to draw back from him.

Her eyes lost the cloud of confusion as she recognized the boy's predicament. "Who did you touch?" She asked quietly.

Harry looked up at her. "Draco Malfoy." He whispered, confused. His

Harpy self went into over-drive as the name escaped his lips.

Aura's lips turned up into a smile. "Well done! You have found your mate, Harry."

Harry's mind went blank. The only think he could hear was the blood pounding in his ears and his ragged breath. His Harpy self purred quietly in the background while everything spun around before his eyes. He couldn't concentrate on anything; all he could think was 'Draco'. The world finally went black and his breathing returned to normal as his purring died away.

There was the white-light field. Harry spun around and began to relax as he felt the calm of the place soothe him.

"Harry?"

He turned to see who spoke, but no one was there.

"Hello?" He called. He half expected the little girl to be there, her dark curls falling down her back, her voice leading him to the blond man.

"Harry." This time the voice was right beside his ear while a cool hand rested on his shoulder.

He whirled around, wrenching himself away from the person's grasp. When he caught sight of who it was, he fell back in surprise. Standing there in a long white gown, amber wings spread out around her like burning gold and red flames was…

"Mum?" Harry cocked his head in confusion and eyed the Harpy warily.

Lily Potter smiled down at her startled son. Harry noticed little details about her: like the wind tossing her fiery red hair as it fell around her shoulders and how the white roses they were kneeling on did not bend or snap under their combined weights.

"Harry." Her voice was like rich honey.

"You're not real." Harry whispered.

Lily frowned and her hand reached out to stroke his cheek, the lingering touch of a mother long gone. "I am here." She whispered.

"How?" Harry asked. His emerald eyes brimming with tears as he leaned into the touch of her hand.

"You need me. Every young Harpy who comes into their Inheritance needs their mother." She smiled a soft smile that danced on her lips.

"There was this little girl…" Harry trailed off as he looked around.

Lily's smile grew. "You will see her sooner than you think."

Harry gave her a puzzled look, but she waved it away. "You're not happy?" Lily tilted her head, reminding Harry of a child.

The idea amused him. "What's not to be happy about? I mean my rival since First Year is now my mate." He wrinkled his nose in disgust before huffing and lying back in bed of roses.

Lily smiled in amusement this time.

Harry felt his heart warm at being with his mum. Seeing her smile at him was incredible. But, talking to her as if they had never been parted was absolutely the best feeling of all.

"I was the same way once. But, I love James and nothing and no one can ever change that. It will be the same with your mate. No matter what happens you will love him forever."

"But I can't!" Harry exploded. Jumping to his feet, he shouted, "I can't love anyone. When I love someone they are always taken away from me! Sirius. You. Dad. I can't love…" His voice trailed off into harsh gut-wrenching sobs as he dropped to his knees in defeat.

Lily knelt and hugged her distraught son against her chest. The world was starting to fade out; Lily beginning to dim with it. Harry felt her grip on him loosening and panicked. He tried to hold onto his mother. "Don't worry, Harry. I will see you again soon…"

A cold hand pressed against his forehead. His head felt foggy and his vision blurred by the absence of his glasses. He made a throaty cough which alerted Aura.

"Harry, are you OK?" She brushed aside his bangs in a motherly gesture.

Harry sat up and groaned. "Where are my glasses?" He finally managed to croak. Aura placed them on his nose and his vision cleared. Looking around, he saw that he was once again in Aura's room, a room he was seeing a lot of.

Aura was perched on the edge of the bed, a bowl of cool water and a wash cloth in her lap. From the looks of her, dressed in loose sweat pants and a white shirt, he had disturbed her getting into bed.

Looking down at himself, he noticed that he was wearing a pair of cotton pajamas. "In your room again?" He couldn't stop the small grin that flitted across his face.

Aura teased back. "You do seem to be a regular visitor here. Maybe I should set you up your own room?"

Harry moved into a comfortable position, and suddenly her expression changed to seriousness. "Harry, we need to talk."

Harry ducked his head and groaned softly. "I don't want to. Malfoy can't be my mate. End of story!"

"No, it isn't. Harry, you will die if you do not accept and bond with him. You cannot resist your Harpy self." Aura urged him to be reasonable, her eyes full of seriousness at the situation.

"If this doesn't kill me, Voldemort will!" Harry muttered bitterly.

Aura reached over and grabbed his chin in a gentle grasp. Turning his face toward hers she begged him, "Harry, accept it. Embrace it. Don't try to fight it. It's a losing battle."

Harry jerked his head away. His eyes blazed. "You are one to talk. You have your perfect match while I am stuck with the guy I hate."

"You can't hate him, Harry." Aura yelled back. "He is your reason for all that you do. He completes you in every way. He is your other half. You need him and he needs you."

Harry stared at her, his Harpy self growling at him the whole time for saying such things about Malfoy. He felt his stomach tighten as he thought of the blond. Everything fell into place.

The man in his dreams, the way his Harpy self acted around Malfoy… He must have rammed into Harry earlier, causing his wings to appear. Draco Malfoy was his mate; there was no doubt.

Aura looked embarrassed as she scratched her neck and watched the play of emotions across Harry's face. "Look, I'm sorry for my outburst. It's just…" She made eye contact with him and a hint of a smile flickered across her face. "You're as stubborn as your mother."

Harry smiled, remembering his dream. "Aura, is it possible to be dead and still be able to communicate with someone through dreams?"

Aura blinked and considered what he had asked. "I suppose if the dead person shared a strong enough bond with the living one… Why do you ask?"

"I was talking to my mum in my dreams. She was so real. I could actually feel her touch when she put her hand on me."

Aura watched Harry silently as he battled with himself. Everything just seemed to have fallen onto his shoulders in less than twenty-four hours: a new found mate and a dead mother whom he could communicate with.

"Harry, you need to talk to Draco." Aura pushed lightly.

Harry's agitation became visible. "I can't do that!" He exploded in hysterics, waving his arms around wildly. "It won't be the greatest conversation. "Hey, Malfoy, how are you? Oh and by the way, I'm a Harpy and you are my mate. We have to bond by my seventeenth birthday or we will both die."

"Maybe you should break it a little more gently than that?" Aura smiled at his antics.

"This is not funny!" Harry whined.

Aura was glad that Harry wasn't angry at the return of the topic of conversation. He seemed to be more nervous now that the thought of actually having a mate had sunk in fully.

To keep him distracted until he could accept the idea fully, she switched the subject again. "Are you hungry?" Aura asked as she waved her wand to summon a tray of sweets.

Harry dug into them, happily munching on a chocolate frog while Aura delicately ate a Bertie Bott's all-flavored bean and scrunching up her nose at the flavour of dirt.

"Never trust a Bott's bean." She muttered, throwing the remains of it away and eating the last chocolate frog.

"What's the time?" Harry asked, looking around for the clock.

"About midnight." Aura shrugged casually as she dispatched the last bit of frog with her pointy little incisors and licked the remains of chocolate from her lips in typical Harpy fashion.

They sat in silence for a few more minutes as Harry sorted through the rest of the confections and continued to eat them as fast as he could identify them. Aura watched in fascination as he finished the chocolates and started in on the honey based sweets.

The methodical way he was decimating the contents of the tray had her suddenly remembering something. Attention focused on him, she began speaking. "Harry, in two nights will be a Harpy holiday, I've gotten the week off for you, and it's a week long celebration, loads of fun."

"What's the holiday?"

"The First Creation of Harpies." Aura nodded matter-of-factly. "It is one of those holidays where the Elders pass on the knowledge of creation and the Harpy History; you'll learn everything as you go through the week. You're supposed to attend with your mate, but lots of young Harpies who haven't mated yet attend alone."

"Oh." Harry was imagining what it would be like to bring Draco to a Harpy Celebration. He had a strange thought of Draco attending as a ferret and a crowd of Harpies chasing after him.

"We can talk more about the celebration when it approaches. You will learn loads of Harpy History." As Harry looked at her, she stood and flicked her wand so the lights dimmed down to a soft haze. "Go to sleep. You have classes tomorrow."

Harry rolled over and closed his eyes, a picture of Draco on his mind.

What had he gotten himself into?

TBC