So, it's been a while. I have been busy; got sucked into a new plot-line that I somehow cranked out more than 300 pages for in the span of a few months, so... ^^'
Anyway, have a new chapter! *tosses update at you and then runs away*
Hold Your Head High
Chapter 14
Saturday, as if to make up for all the sun they'd gotten on Friday, was nothing more than pouring rain and harsh winds, beating against the Burrow's walls and windows.
It took about five seconds after she woke up for Harry to decide that today wouldn't be a very good day.
The fact that she felt like she had barely slept at all didn't really help, and her body felt like she'd been through a wringer.
She couldn't believe she could feel like this after just flying a little.
Harry knew she hadn't flown in a while, but how could her body betray her like this?
"Come on, sunshine. Time to get up," Reborn said, sounding insufferably amused.
Harry grumbled something indistinguishable into her pillow, but nonetheless held up one arm for the man to take hold of.
Reborn obligingly helped haul her into an upright position.
Blinking blearily at the room around her, it took her a few seconds to clear her head enough to come to the decision that the bed was more tempting than anything else this day had to offer.
Teddy's birthday wasn't until tomorrow.
She could stay in bed with a clear conscience.
Everyone else could deal.
"Oh, no, you don't," Reborn said.
And before Harry could do anything to defend herself, the stupid Alpha had lifted her clear off the bed.
"Reborn," Harry complained half-heartedly.
"Do you really want anyone to come looking for you in here?" He asked quietly, mouth close to her ear.
Harry snorted, disgruntled, but conceded the point.
Molly would be alright. She had been surprisingly accepting so far, and would probably not barge in on newly Mated Alpha and Omega.
Hermione was coming here today, though.
Ron might be able to keep her occupied for a while, if Ginny was willing to help -which she wasn't sure of- but Harry wasn't willing to bet on it.
"Urgh, fine," she relented, relaxing into Reborn's arms like a sack of flour. "Take me away, then," Harry waved a hand dramatically at the bed, from were Colonello was watching them with clear amusement.
"Bathroom?" Reborn asked idly, turning towards the door. "It's a pity this place doesn't have a pool, but I suppose with weather like this, walking outside would suffice."
"You better not," Harry grumbled. Reborn wasn't tossing her anywhere if he knew what was in his best interests.
She could feel Reborn's amused rumble through his chest.
With insulting lack of effort, the man held her up mostly with one arm as he opened the door, manoeuvred her out into the hallway and then headed towards the bathroom.
Harry was perfectly content to just let her Mate cart her around like a piece of furniture, and was unconcerned enough to merely wave half-heartedly at George when she got a glimpse of him coming down the stairs from Ron's room.
The redhead blinked at her, before he shrugged and continued on his way. As if he had seen nothing out of the ordinary.
Harry was pretty sure no one else, bar Colonello, could have gotten away with carrying her like this without a good reason, though.
Once in the bathroom, Reborn put Harry down on her own two feet and then turned to the sink to brush his teeth.
Harry blinked blearily once or twice, and then tugged off her shirt to stagger into the shower. She stepped out of her panties and tossed them into the hamper before she turned the water on.
She knew Reborn was keeping an eye on her in the mirror, but she honestly didn't care or mind. It wasn't even in a leering kind of way; the man was looking at her as if he was concerned.
When she was done with her wash, Harry accepted the clean towel Reborn handed her, wrapped it around herself and stepped out of the shower.
"Thanks," she murmured, still feeling like she hadn't quite woken up yet.
Reborn sat on the closed toilet lid, watching her go through the motions. Drying her hair, brush her teeth.
"What was the dream about?" He asked once she was done.
Harry paused, staring into the sink where she had just rinsed her toothbrush.
"A memory," she finally said, putting her toothbrush away. "From when I was fifteen," she added.
Harry slowly turned around to look at Reborn properly. He hadn't gotten dressed yet either, wearing nothing more than the pyjama trousers he tended to wear to bed.
He even managed to make the toilet look comfortable.
Smiling wryly at her Mate, Harry leaned against the sink and crossed her arms over her chest.
Her dreams hadn't exactly been nightmares this time, even though they had been far from pleasant.
Reborn raised one eyebrow a fraction, which she knew meant something along the lines of 'want to talk about it?'
"There was this woman, who came to work as one of the professors at school that year," Harry began, gaze turning distant. "She was a biased, arrogant, self-important bitch. But most of all, she had it out for me," she smiled bitterly.
"I've told you about how no one believe Voldemort was back at first. Which means that everyone was of the firm opinion that I was nothing more than an attention-seeking liar," she snorted. Ludicrous idea, really. "Anyway, Umbridge had certain... views on Omegas, and I just, ticked all her boxes." She shrugged.
"What did she do?" Reborn asked calmly, looking deceptively relaxed and unconcerned.
"Oh, there's a list somewhere. She was on trial a while before I went to Italy," Harry frowned. "She had a vendetta against Muggleborns, too. Everyone who was different from her had to be controlled, beaten down and brought to heel," she paused a moment. "We never did get along."
"What did she do?" Reborn asked again, a tense undercurrent to his voice now.
Harry tilted her head and studied Reborn, who met her gaze without blinking. "She did a great many things, none of which I approved of then, and that I approve of even less now. The incident that brought this whole thing up was a spell she put on me."
Reborn's eyes darkened. Somehow.
His eyes were already black, but there was just something about them that made them surprisingly expressive.
The one time she had brought it up with her two Mates, Colonello had stared at her like he suddenly couldn't understand a word she was saying, while Reborn had looked amused.
"What kind?"
Harry snorted. "Believe it or not, a Chastity spell," she rolled her eyes a little. "She sat down every Omega in the castle to talk to us about propriety and the acceptable distance one ought to keep to any and all Alphas." She shook her head. "Just that should tell you plenty about what she thought of us. Regardless, Umbridge never did like me. It didn't help that I refused to dance to her fiddle, so once she became desperate enough, she cooked something special up for me."
Reborn didn't move a muscle, but she could feel his Flames begin to unfold in the small space, curling protectively around her.
"It was quite a surprise to discover that I could no longer touch anyone of the opposite gender," Harry finished mildly, fists clenching.
Which was something of an understatement, and they both knew it.
The partial isolation, in addition to everything else that had happened that year, had been awful.
There had been a part of her that had been constantly tense, expecting the electric pain at any moment. Moving through the corridors had been a nightmare, for her and all the others suffering under the spell. The mental toll it had taken, living with the threat of acute pain anytime someone so much as accidentally brushed up against her had been... yeah.
Not fun.
Reborn growled softly.
Harry blinked out of her thoughts and smiled at him.
"It was a long time ago now."
Reborn snorted. "Yes, of course," he said sarcastically, and Harry shrugged.
It had been a long three years since then, even though the last one had been after the war was over.
"She's getting exactly what she deserves now, so I'm," she paused, considering it properly for a moment, "content."
Reborn rose to his feet with liquid grace, took the two slow steps that separated them and folded her into a possessive embrace.
"You," he said decisively, "are going to be the death of me."
"I sincerely hope not," Harry returned weakly, leaning her forehead against his chest.
She didn't need any more loved ones' deaths on her hands.
There was a knock on the bathroom door.
"Do I even want to know what you're doing in there?" Ginny asked exasperatedly, voice muffled through the wood, making Harry snort.
"Come one," she said, gently nudging Reborn until he let go of her. "Colonello's got to be wondering if I've drowned in the shower by now."
Reborn made an offended sound in the back of his throat, but let his arms fall from around her and unlocked the door.
As if he would ever let her drown.
The look on Ginny's face when she looked up to get an eyeful of a shirtless Reborn was enough to make Harry snort.
Reborn's answering smirk made her laugh.
.
"Feeling better?" George asked when Harry sat down at the kitchen table.
"Marginally," Harry shrugged and looked over the breakfast selection. After some deliberation, she grabbed a slice of plain toast and nibbled half-heartedly on it.
Reborn took one look at her and then stole her plate to put a small amount of scrambled eggs, two slices of beacon and a breakfast-muffin on it, before he put it back in front of her with a pointed look.
Harry sighed, but obligingly grabbed her fork and put some of the eggs on her perfectly acceptable toast.
She raised an eyebrow right back at him. "Happy now?"
"Ecstatic," Reborn drawled without missing a beat.
Colonello eyed Reborn and Harry in turn, but remained surprisingly quiet, busying himself with his own breakfast and distracting Ginny and Molly from focusing too much on Harry.
She whole-heartedly appreciated it.
"So what happens today?" Ginny eventually asked.
"Ron and Hermione are coming. She ought to have finished most of her meetings at the Ministry yesterday, so the rest of the weekend can be spent here," Harry replied absently, poking at the last, sad-looking scraps of scrambled eggs on her plate.
Without looking away from the copy of the Daily Prophet he had gotten from Merlin knew where and was currently reading, Reborn pushed a cup of tea up to her empty hand.
Harry looked to the ceiling, but curled her fingers around the steaming cup.
"It's pretty calm at the shop this time of year, so we're leaving it to the employees," George added quietly, stirring his own tea in an absent-minded manner, his other hand supporting his chin, elbow planted on the table.
Which meant that Ron would be free to stay at the Burrow, too.
Which was very nice.
"They should be here before lunch," Molly said with a pleased sigh, wiping her hands on her apron. "Hermione told Arthur last night before he left the Ministry," she added at the questioning looks that got her.
"Well, I'm going back to my room for a while, then," Ginny said after some deliberation. She sent a questioning look Luna's way, but shrugged and got to her feet when the blonde merely smiled back.
Ginny wandered out of the kitchen a moment later, heading for the stairs.
"Are you all done, dears?" Molly asked next, smiling tenderly at Harry and George.
"Yeah. Thanks for the food," Harry nodded, trying not to feel bad for eating so little.
Molly cleared the table with the swish of her wand and Harry just about began to ponder what to do until Hermione and Ron got there when Colonello rose to his feet.
Harry watched him walk the short distance until he stood next to her chair.
The Alpha then pulled her chair a little away from the table, fitted his hands under her arms and lifted her out of her seat. With a pleased look on his face, Colonello held her close to his chest and walked in the direction of the sitting room.
Harry blinked in quiet surprise, but didn't feel up to acting offended.
Would this be a thing from now on? Carrying her around?
...did they have to point out how small she was all the damn time?
Harry smiled faintly when Colonello sat down on the sofa, only to lie down almost immediately, making sure that Harry was draped comfortably over him, her head resting on his chest.
Letting out a content sigh, Colonello tightened the arms he still had wrapped around her waist and seemed settled down for the next couple of hours.
Shifting slightly, Harry propped her chin on his sternum and gave him a questioning look.
Colonello met her gaze, blue eyes calm and relaxed. He took a deep breath, making Harry's head rise together with his expanding ribcage, before he said anything.
"You slept poorly again, cora."
"Yeah," Harry returned, voice just as soft as Colonello's had been.
She glanced at the door when Luna wandered into the room, shortly followed by Reborn and George.
Colonello rubbed one thumb over her ribs in a soothing, repetitive manner. "I don't like it when you have bad dreams," he murmured. "Can't do anything about them, cora."
"You help," Harry assured him. "A lot."
Colonello hummed. "Wanna talk 'bout it?"
"Just memories from fifth year," Harry sighed, eyes slipping half-way closed.
"I'm not surprised to hear you have nightmares about Umbridge," Luna entered the conversation like a playful spring breeze.
George growled.
Harry blinked and glanced at George; she wasn't sure she had ever actually heard him growl like that before. Deep in his throat and threatening.
"That bloody woman," George hissed darkly, eyeing Harry a moment, before slumping down in his seat and crossing his arms in front of his chest. "I hope she's miserable. She deserves to rot in Azkaban for the rest of her life."
Harry hummed an acknowledgement.
"That Chastity spell of hers was just awful," Luna said, a slight frown on her face. Her gaze sharpened a moment later and she turned to look at Harry. "I heard from a Hufflepuff Omega last year that you punched Malfoy while under it."
"He was harassing a thirteen year old. I could have knocked all his teeth out and he'd still have deserved it," Harry mumbled sleepily.
Colonello's steady breathing and the current company was doing wonders to make her relax.
"I'm not arguing with you, Harry," Luna said seriously. "I just want you to take your own safety into consideration. It was a lot of strain on the body."
"What, exactly, did this spell do to you?" Reborn asked pleasantly into the following silence.
Harry closed her eyes.
Damn.
"What was it you said? It felt like you was 'electrocuted'?" George asked Harry, voice dark and rough with a half-formed growl.
Colonello growled, the vibrations making it feel like her brain was rattling around in her skull.
"And it did so every time you touched a boy?" Reborn pressed on mildly.
Harry shivered; she could practically taste the threat hanging in the air in the wake of his words, even though none of it could be heard in his voice.
She hummed an affirmative.
"It sucked big time, but I will cherish the memory of you throwing tableware at Umbridge in the Great Hall until the day I die," Ginny said from the doorway to the kitchen, her voice sharp and dangerous. Just like the smile on her face.
Harry snorted.
"It was beautiful," Luna agreed with her Omega friend, back to sounding dreamy and vague now.
George just grumbled something unintelligible under his breath with a huff.
Colonello's grip on her tightened and Harry could feel Reborn's gaze on her skin.
With a deep sigh, she kept her eyes closed and attempted to go back to that lovely, relaxed doze she'd achieved a while ago.
.
Harry was making herself a cup of tea when the fireplace flared up green behind her.
"Hey," she smiled at Ron, who stepped out first, Hermione no doubt right behind him.
"Hi," Ron smiled, walking up to her and putting one hand on her shoulder, giving her a brief once-over. As if unable to stop himself from looking for injuries.
Never mind that the war had been over for almost exactly a year now, some habits were just too ingrained to let go of. She wasn't even sure Ron was aware of doing it.
"How are you?" Harry asked, gaze flicking towards the still-quiet fireplace. Had Hermione gotten delayed?
"I'm not the one whose been out of the country for the last four months," Ron said with a wry smile, looking into Harry's eyes. "But the shop didn't blow up while I was in it while you were gone, so that's always something, I suppose."
Harry snorted and pulled him into a hug. "George would never let the shop explode."
"True, that," Ron sniggered and squeezed her tightly for a second before he stepped away from her with a grin. "But seriously, though. How are you, Harry?"
Harry blinked up at him. "I'm pretty well. Being back in Britain kicked my nightmares back into gear, but other than that," she shrugged, because what else was there to do? It wasn't like she wanted to have nightmares. They wouldn't go away if she asked kindly.
"Hermione got a bit held up," Ron continued after a beat of silence. With a sigh, he sat down by the kitchen table, where Harry joined him. "It's a miracle if I can get her to remember to eat half the time, she's so busy."
"She loves it, though," Harry pointed out, before she lifted her steaming mug to her mouth to sip at her tea. "And it probably helps her sleep at night," she added quietly.
Harry and Ron's gazes met across the table.
After another bout of comfortable silence, Harry set her mug down. "You haven't said all that much since I came back," she started the conversation she knew had been brewing between them.
Ron gave an awkward shrug. "I don't really know what to say."
"You didn't talk to them at all, yesterday," Harry said quietly. She wasn't accusing him of anything, merely stating the facts.
She knew it had been a shock. She could understand.
"I just don't know what to think," Ron admitted uncomfortably, shrugging awkwardly and frowning down at the kitchen table. "I trust your judgement, but," he hesitated a moment, "it will take a while before I see for myself, okay?"
"I get it, Ron. I do," Harry assured him. "I just want you to give them an honest chance."
"I know, and I will. I'm sure they're great fellows," Ron said with a slight smile.
Harry frowned and opened her mouth to answer, but the fireplace flared up and Ron visibly perked up.
"Hermione's here," he smiled and got to his feet.
"Harry! Oh, hi, Ron," Hermione greeted, giving her boyfriend a quick kiss on the cheek before she turned back to Harry with a radiant grin. "It's so good to have you here. I've been so excited to finally get done with all work-related issues. It's going to be wonderful to celebrate Teddy's first birthday together with everyone tomorrow," she sighed happily, before taking a deep breath. "And I think it's for the best that Andromeda have plenty of people around her right now," she continued in a more hushed voice. "It wouldn't feel right for her to spend all her time in that house all alone with Teddy up until the Memorial."
Harry had to bite her tongue to keep from grimacing at the mention. "Andy's staying here for the next two weeks? Molly didn't mention it."
"Oh, yes," Hermione nodded seriously. "But then again, Molly's been working on convincing Andromeda about it all for the past, oh, two months?" Here, she paused to give Ron a questioning look.
Before the redhead could even begin to answer, the fireplace flared up again.
"Professor McGonagall," Harry said with a pleasantly surprised smile, watching the impressive witch step out of the flames and absently dust herself off. "I wasn't expecting to see you here until tomorrow. Will Hogwarts survive without you for the day?"
"Oh, don't be ridiculous, Harry. Hogwarts will still stand this evening, despite my absence," McGonagall replied primly, giving Harry a fond look. "And no more of this 'professor' business. Since you're no longer a student of mine, I insist you call me Minerva, my dear."
Harry couldn't help but smile. "You'll always be professor McGonagall to me, professor. I respect you too much."
"After everything we've experienced together, I've gathered," McGonagall smiled at her.
Or, well, her lips definitely twitched with clear amusement. In a fond manner.
"Now," McGonagall continued briskly. "What's this I hear about you meeting someone?"
Harry had to bite her lip to try and keep herself from bursting out in laughter. Or tears. She wasn't sure.
"I've actually Mated. Pretty recently," she told the older woman, who raised one eyebrow a fraction.
"I take that to mean congratulations are in order," was McGonagall's only response and Harry loved her a little more for it. There were so many amazing people in her life.
"Yes, thank you. Come on; I'll introduce you!" She grinned so wide her cheeks hurt as she took McGonagall's hand and tugged it gently until the woman allowed herself to be towed towards the sitting room. "Reborn! Colonello! There's someone here you must meet!" She turned to face the room, which sadly meant she couldn't see McGonagall's expression, but Luna, Ginny and George had all looked up and were staring mutely at Harry and her companion. "This! Is professor Minerva McGonagall," she stated grandly, watching as her two Mates both perked up.
"Ah," Reborn said softly, fluidly rising to his feet and walking towards them until he was standing right in front of Harry and McGonagall. "It's an honour to meet you, madam. I have heard a lot about you," he said, taking McGonagall's hand to squeeze it carefully between his own two, much larger ones. "Mostly good things," he added with a very small smile.
McGonagall, true to form, barely blinked. "A pleasure to meet you, young man. Reborn, was it? Unusual name."
"Professor McGonagall!" Colonello jogged up to them, coming as close to shoving Reborn aside as the dark-haired hitman would allow. "Harry has told us so much about you and I just want to say right away that I think you're an awesome old woman and I want you to like me!" Colonello grinned, looking like he wanted to fold McGonagall into one of his bear-hugs, but most likely refrained due to the woman's age and the cane she still used.
"Well," McGonagall said after a beat of silence, where Ginny and George were both snickering quietly in the background while Luna grinned.
Harry... tried not to smack a hand to her face.
"At least they seem like they're energetic and enthusiastic enough to be able to keep up with you, Potter," McGonagall said frankly, not even commenting on the fact that there were two of them and Harry hadn't said which one was her Mate.
Harry gave her Head of House a small, sweet smile, even as she tried to ignore Reborn's smirk and the way she could feel Ron and Hermione hovering in the doorway behind her.
-x-x-x-
The morning of the big day, Harry was too busy to think much beyond greeting friends and talking to the guests that suddenly milled around the Burrow.
She'd lost track of her two Alphas a while back, but was peripherally aware of the fact that at least one of them was nearby at all times, in case she'd need them. She had no idea where Ginny, George or Ron and Hermione had gone off to.
Luna, on the other hand, seemed to have decided to stay close, today. Every time Harry turned around, Luna would be there, talking to someone, smiling encouragingly at Harry, drinking tea, reminding Molly to take a breather.
It was all very sweet. In an over-protective, slightly overbearing kind of way.
Nonetheless, Harry endured it with a smile.
Bill, Fleur and Charlie had just arrived and had almost immediately been swept up in Molly's caring embrace and then ushered into the sitting room, when a particular scent reached her and Harry perked up.
With a growing smile, she followed it outside, where she came upon,
"Neville!" Harry laughed and walked up to the Alpha to give him a hug. "It's so good to see you! How are you?" She asked, smiling into his shoulder.
It was obvious Neville had just arrived, and he looked rather tired, making her think he'd just gotten off work.
"Harry. It's nice to see you, too," Neville said, a smile in his voice as his arms came up around her. "It's been a bit strange without you here, to be honest."
"Shouldn't you be resting? I mean, you smell exhausted," Harry inquired mildly as she stepped away from him a little to be able to look up at his face.
Only for a familiar arm to snake around her middle and pull her out of Neville's grasp entirely until her back was pressed against Colonello's firm chest, feet dangling in the air.
Harry blinked a couple of times, trying to process what had just happened, before she was derailed by the sight of Neville's expression.
Her Alpha friend was tense and looked like he was about to bare his teeth. He wasn't growling, but she didn't know how long that would remain true.
The warning sound Colonello gave finally snapped her out of it.
"Whoa, okay!" She said, a fair bit louder than she probably had to with the way both Alphas instantly focused on her. "Calm down and stop gearing up for a fight. Right this instant," she fixed Neville with a stern frown, and then smacked Colonello on the arm when he gave a frustrated huff. "I hugged him, Colonello. And besides," she continued dryly, "he doesn't know yet."
"Fine," Colonello grumbled unhappily, arms tightening around her and his chin coming to rest on top of her head.
Harry sighed.
Once she was sure Colonello wasn't about to do anything unnecessarily stupid, she turned her attention back to Neville.
Who was eyeing Colonello with an intent, focused look that easily let her know her friend was prepared for a fight if it looked like Harry was the least bit uncomfortable.
"Neville, what do you say we sit down and talk a little?" She suggested, absently kicking Colonello in the shin to make him put her down. "There's plenty of food and I'll grab you a butterbeer, too," she offered with a smile.
Neville tore his eyes away from Colonello long enough to give her a short nod, before going back to observing the blond Alpha with terse attention.
Harry sighed, looked around for Reborn, who -as if he had been summoned- appeared from the house.
Without Harry having to say a word, he assessed the situation, grabbed Colonello by the shirt and hauled him away in the direction of Luna, who had been watching it all with far more amusement than was really necessary.
Harry sighed.
"Come on," she said, grabbing Neville's hand and towing him away, aiming for one of the scattered picnic tables Molly had arranged all throughout the garden.
Once they were seated and Neville actually looked to have calmed down, putting the bottle of butterbeer Harry had handed him on the table, he eyed her carefully. "So," he prompted. "You're not half as livid as I would have thought," he commented evenly, tilting his head in the direct Reborn had hauled Colonello.
Harry felt her lips twitch with wry amusement. "I've had an interesting few months since I left for Italy," she said idly, feeling far more amused now that no one looked to be trying to kill anyone else on her behalf.
Neville snorted and gave her a dry look. "I went to school with you, Harry. Every year, I was there," he pointed out, one eyebrow rising a fraction.
Harry scowled playfully at him. "Are you saying I can't have a nice, calm vacation?" She demanded with mock-outrage.
"I'll believe it the day I see it," her friend returned lightly, slowly relaxing further.
Harry smiled at him and decided to get to the point. "So, the blond you just met is my Alpha," she said casually, taking a sip of her own butterbeer. "His name is Colonello, he's Italian, and I am very fond of him." She studied Neville's steadily widening eyes with growing interest. "I'd like it if you got along, but I'll settle for there to just not be any fights."
Neville stared at her for a long minute.
His shock slowly transitioned into thoughtful pensiveness as he digested the news, clearly trying to assimilate it.
"And the other bloke?" He finally asked, gaze sliding back in the direction Reborn and Colonello had disappeared, and it was obvious who he meant.
Harry paused momentarily, before she awkwardly cleared her throat and peered up at the cloud-dotted sky. "Also my Alpha," she muttered quietly.
Neville made a small, incredulous and amused sound that drew Harry's attention. When she chanced a look at him, he was staring at her with wry amusement and growing hilarity.
"Both of them?" He asked.
"Both of them," Harry confirmed with a helpless, slightly sheepish grin.
Neville actually laughed, shaking his head. "Only you, Harry," he snickered, prompting Harry to crumple up a napkin and toss it at him.
"It wasn't something I planned," she muttered lowly, though she still couldn't wipe the grin off her face, no matter how bashful she might feel.
Neville snorted. "As far as I've understood it, your plans have a tendency to go pear-shaped anyway," he grinned.
Harry stuck her tongue out at him. "Do you think you can get close to them without going all Alpha again? I'd really like to introduce you," she inquired. "Properly," she added dryly.
Neville eyed her, considering, a moment, amusement still making his eyes shine. "How long since you Mated?" He asked.
"It's pretty resent," she admitted, not feeling half as awkward discussing this with him as she might have guessed.
Neville nodded. "Then I suppose I can forgive him," he relented easily, getting to his feet and waiting for Harry to follow suit.
Harry smiled gratefully at him, jumped to her feet and then tracked down her two men, Neville following at her heels with a small, fond smile on his lips and his hands in his pockets.
.
As the day progressed, people came and went, most of them taking care to seek out Andromeda to exchange a few words.
Seeing as Teddy was a bit young to really appreciate any kind of party, it was mostly an opportunity for all of them to catch up and spend a few hours together with friends and family, if only with the added cake and presents.
The near-disaster between Neville and Colonello had been smoothed over and Harry felt like this day might actually turn out alright.
She'd just settled down with a plate of food in the kitchen when Ron and Hermione joined her.
Harry sent them a glance and a quick smile, before focusing back on her food, preoccupied by something she'd seen a few minutes earlier.
She might have interfered, but... Harry really didn't want to make things worse. If Bill wanted to pull her two Alphas aside for a talk, then. Well, she figured it might just be best not to get involved.
For now.
"Harry, can we talk?" Hermione asked, pulling her attention back to the present.
"Of course," Harry said, blinking at her friend. Since when had they ever needed to ask?
"About your Alphas, mate," Ron clarified, clearly having seen the confusion on her face.
"Oh." Harry blinked again, and slowly put down her fork. "What about them?"
Hermione sent Ron a brief glance, before she focused back on Harry and she looked anxious. "I don't want you to get upset, but I just," she took a deep breath, firmed her jaw, determination all but oozing off of her. "There are some things that need to be said, I think," she finished.
Harry stared expectantly at her. She got a distinct feeling that, while Ron was fully supportive of his girlfriend in this, it was still mainly Hermione's concerns.
"You haven't even known them four months, Harry," her friend said firmly, a frown pulling on her brows. "Less than that at the time you Mated," she added, shifting uncomfortably at the mention of that particular subject. "What do you really know about them? I don't like this. It's uncharacteristic of you to jump head-first into something like this where Alphas are concerned."
Harry leaned back in her chair, gaze sliding over to Ron, who shrugged and grimaced but ultimately nodded his agreement.
"You've never showed any inclination to let any Alpha so much as hug you, Harry," he pointed out quietly. "Something just doesn't feel right."
Harry frowned, because that was just not true. "What does that make George?" She asked neutrally. "Blaise?" Neville?
"That's not the same, and you know it," Hermione huffed impatiently. "And," she bit her lip a moment, before pressing on, "there's just something... not right about Reborn," she said. "Colonello is very obviously smitten with you, and he makes an effort, but Reborn is distant and aloof, like- like Malfoy was in school."
The comparison made Harry bristle.
Taking a deep breath, Harry very deliberately didn't open her mouth, and instead waited for her two best friends to finish saying what they felt they had to.
"It's like he doesn't care, and I never thought you'd Mate with someone like that," Hermione finished flatly, eyeing her intently. "Are you- You know you can tell us if you're in trouble, right?"
Harry gritted her teeth and her resolve to stay quiet strained and cracked, before snapping entirely.
"It's not like the two of you have made any kind of effort to get to know them," she hissed quietly, fighting to keep her voice down even as she struggled with her temper. "You haven't even been here to observe," she pressed on, spitting out the word, because she knew fully well that was what they had been doing the hours they'd actually spent together in the last few days. "I don't see where this is coming from! You were perfectly happy for me when I first told you about this!" She added, staring at Hermione, trying not to feel hurt.
"I know, and I was," Hermione hurriedly assured her, looking conflicted. "It's just- I've thought a lot about it, and it just doesn't- four months, Harry!" She exclaimed, frustrated. "And Reborn doesn't even act like he cares about you!" She huffed.
"So you think I'd just grab the first Alpha I found and let him claim me like some sort of possession?" She hissed, incensed, because that was what it sounded like Hermione was getting at. "For no obvious reason?"
"No!" Ron exclaimed, looking aghast.
"Well, what are we supposed to think, Harry?" Hermione fired back, powering through whatever it was Ron had been about to say, looking like she was getting worked up, too.
"You're supposed to trust me! You're supposed to know me better than anyone!" Harry growled, absently noting that she'd risen to her feet
"We do!" Ron hurried injected before Hermione could open her mouth again. "We trust you, we care about you. We just want to be sure you're happy," he said, sincere and worried and a whole host of things that made it difficult to stay mad at him if she thought about it for too long.
"Do you know what would have made me happy, Ron?" Harry asked in a deceptively calm voice. "My two best friends making the effort to at least try to get to know my Mates. Maybe ask them why they wanted to Mate with me, or just talk to them long enough to get a basic feel for their personalities!" She growled and stalked off before she could say something she'd come to regret.
She needed to put some distance between them and work off the worst of her temper.
Harry stalked out of the house, ignored the guests milling around the Weasleys' garden and headed for the orchard.
A walk sounded like a good idea.
-x-x-x-