See first chapter for disclaimers/warnings/summaries.

RECAP: Harry meets a few of Megan's friends, the twins Amelia and Leonard, and some fellow 'Puffs when he joins them on a picnic outside by the Lake. Afterward, things change just a little bit until Megan arranges for Harry and Terius to clear the air between them. Terius is not happy and says as much, asking Harry whether he believes himself to be worthy of an apology.

Harry waited for Megan when the last class let out. She usually came to find him, mostly because he didn't know her full schedule and therefore had no idea where her final class was, much less where to wait for her. He could go up to their shared room, but her earlier hint of something happening later that night, hung in his head and out of habit, he waited for her.

The day had been long and he was seriously thinking of skipping dinner. He wondered if he could convince her to take their dinner together in their room. That would be a nice option and one he'd never taken before.

A warm breeze blew past him, ruffling his hair and teasing the with the scent of fresh air and a familiar herbal tint. Harry pushed away from the wall, looking around at once. He knew that scent—would always know it anywhere. The wind tugged gently at him and he found his feet beginning to move. Lifting his head, he sniffed a few times and began to follow the lightly scented trail.

The wind prompted him, gently pulling and blowing in various directions, coaxing him out of the castle and out into the fresh air. He came to a standstill, finding himself outside of the massive castle and squinting into the darkening light of the evening. He couldn't make out anything yet, with the shadows from the trees and rocks around him, but his dragel senses were open and alert.

A familiar presence manifested somewhere behind him and he turned in time to feel warm, mittened hands gently placed over his eyes. "Guess who?" Megan whispered into his ear.

Harry smiled, having already sensed her with enough time to keep from reacting negatively. He wondered, briefly, if she'd done it on purpose. It was a good detail though, because he didn't handle surprises too well—not when such things could mean a potentially life-and-death situation because of his famous, pure dumb luck.

"I don't know?" He teased.

"Oh?" Megan fairly purred. She kissed the edge of one pink ear and nipped it playfully with her fangs, just enough pressure to leave a mark, but not to break the skin. "Try again."

"I need a hint," he said, mischief clear in his voice.

"Are you in the habit of letting others bite your ears, then?" Megan teased back. She nibbled along his other ear, then pressed a series of light kisses down the side of his neck, before her hands dropped from his eyes. "It's me, silly."

Harry leaned back into her arms, automatically tilting his head to the side when he realized she was angling for his claim mark. "I'm surprised," he said, feigning shock. "I had no idea."

Megan laughed into his neck and licked the claim mark once and then twice, before sinking her fangs into his pale neck.

He squirmed for a moment, then sighed, relaxing as he realized that after the initial bite, it really didn't hurt. She'd also cast a disillusionment spell over them and there really wasn't anyone who could see them either. It did feel very nice to have her fangs in his neck. She held one hand out to him and he tugged off her mitten, before her wrist was presented to him. He smiled and at the unspoken prompt, returned the favor—his aching fangs slipping easily into her wrist.

The moment stretched on for a bit and then Megan pulled away, licking her lips. She kissed his cheek, a signal that he ought to finish up and though he whined in protest, his fangs slid free and she held still as he tended to the bite with quick kitten licks. He turned around to face her then, searching her face for any sign of what they were doing outside at this time of day—especially when dinner and curfew were so close together.

She took his hand and put it to her neck, helping him to feel a thick, jeweled chain, and then the pendant attached to it. Harry held it in his hand, as the gem, a rich deep purple, shimmered and glowed faintly, growing brighter at his touch. "What is it?" He turned it over in his hand, looking back at her. He'd never seen anything like it before.

"It's a Void stone," Megan said, softly. "I don't wear it all the time, only when I mean to use it. It's dragel magic. A gift from my mentor, actually. It's a special portal to a special place. I go there sometimes to meditate or—train, sort of." She closed her hands over his, wrapping his fingers around the gem. "You are mine," she said, softly. "Aren't you?"

Harry straightened up at once. "Yours."

"Shall we make it official then?"

Harry didn't have to think about that. He nodded. "Yes."

The stone flared a bright rich purple. For a moment, he couldn't breathe, the air had been sucked from his body and he was so light, he floated. Starry skies whirled by and everything blurred together, until it didn't. When he could breathe and think again, Harry found himself standing on a thick, grassy hill, with a giant tree at the top of it and a shimmering, luminescent lake visible off in the distance. There was a giant, glowing moon in the sky and it cast a lovely pale light over everything that was bathed in soft shadows.

"Welcome to my thinking place," Megan said, softly.

Harry released the gem, his arms falling to his sides as he continued to take in his new surroundings. When Megan drew him forward, he followed her and they continued on, together, all the way up the hill to where it was flat beneath the tree. They sat together on the grass and after a moment, he asked her about it and she told him.

They talked and talked and at one point, Megan shrugged out of her robe and spread it on the ground, so they could lie down and gaze up at the night sky. Harry mimicked the action, stripping off his robe and jumper—to use as a pillow—and they sprawled out on the ground, staring up into the haze, shimmering sky that sparkled with so many stars.

At one point, he slipped an arm around her waist and pulled her closer to him. She snuggled back into his embrace without hesitation. They made up constellations and told each other silly stories about why they existed in the first place. It was fun, light and innocent.

Then Megan turned in his arms and gently pinned him to the ground, following up with a kiss that made her intent quite clear. Harry felt something shift and stir inside of him. He was grateful for the privacy that meant they definitely would not be interrupted and touched to think that she had chosen such a beautiful place for just the two of them.

She trailed more kisses up his neck and her warm hands pulled at his shirt, until her fingers could touch his skin. He tugged at her jumper, fumbling with the buttons and she banished it away—along with her blouse and his shirt. The next following minutes resulted in less clothes, more kisses and powerful magic beginning to swirl around the couple.

When the pleasurable haze had faded, Harry felt something shift and click, gently. Megan ran one hand through his hair, humming a tune that he couldn't quite place. Her other hand stroked up and down his back, claws out, pressing deliberately from his neck to his hip, with just the right amount of pressure to be soothing and not irritating.

He sighed and closed his eyes. There was nothing to be said. It had been beautiful, wonderful and magical—he couldn't have asked for anything else. Yes, it had been a touch clumsy, awkward and nerve-wracking, but the friendship between them had smoothed out most of the nerves, Megan's willingness to laugh and her warmth in spirit and body had eased all the rest.

At several points, the only word that came to mind was ethereal, for Harry had finally seen just how deeply ingrained her Air element was. Influenced by their shared and amplified emotions, tempered by her magic and enhanced by the strange beauty of the private void, Megan was every single inch, a queen.

Her hair, dark against her pale skin, hovered around her shoulders, teased by the wind, her eyes alight with such brightness that Harry saw himself reflected in them as they'd joined in an intimate dance as old as time. She was beautiful and brilliant, but she made him feel as if he was the most precious thing in the world. He was the ultimate focus of her attention and with every kiss, rub and press of skin on skin, magic to magic—Harry knew it.

It felt as if she'd branded it into his skin, pushing the meaning beyond the surface until it was etched so deeply inside of him that he could not doubt the sincerity and truth of it. He felt the moment her skin morphed from smooth softness to slick scales, gasped in the moment when her fangs sank into his neck, the bonding magic singing through his body—entering from that one burning point where her lips laid claim to him in the most natural way for a dragel.

His turn came after hers.

She arched her neck, giving clear access as he returned the favor with fangs, teeth and lips. His hands shifted into their natural, curved claw-like state, digging harshly into her strong arms and shoulders. She purred contentedly as the ambient magic surrounding them, validated his possessive claim, sealing the matter with a note of finality that Harry wouldn't forget anytime soon.

This was permanent.

There were no take backs, no do overs, no hesitations to be had.

This was forever and a day.

Pride shone in her eyes as she perched on his lap, initiating another enthusiastic round of snogging when he withdrew from her neck, bloody lips half-parted, fangs visible in the moonlight. He tangled one clawed hand in her hair, the other looped around her waist as instincts took over for another enjoyable round.

"So I'm your—submissive now?" Harry had to ask.

Megan smiled down at him and leaned forward enough to kiss his forehead. He looked absolutely adorable to her, with his wide green eyes and delicate fangs peeking over his bottom lip. "Indeed you are," she said, simply. She didn't push him, knowing that whatever he was sorting out in his head, he would share soon—it was easy to see from the expression on his face. She'd learned to watch for such subtle reactions, it was the mark of a good Alpha.

"What does that mean, exactly?" he asked, pressing closer to her.

She curled her arm tighter around his shoulders and let him pillow his head on her chest. "It means a lot of things, but it mostly means that I'll look out for you—above all else. It doesn't change who you are and what you're capable of, it only means that I will always stand with you and I will always have your best interests in mind." She sighed, softly. "Bonding is far more than a simple marriage. It is joining body, mind, magic—and soul, even, if we are fated to be soulmates. We are partners and equals, yes, but I have a responsibility and obligation, for which I am honor-bound, to see that you are well-cared for, happy, content and protected—even if it is from yourself."

Harry made a sound in his throat, his lips quirking into a frown. "You can't protect me from everything."

"Old Voldy-snorts?" Megan asked, her tone light. She would not speak his name. "No, perhaps not at this particular moment—but that doesn't mean that I wouldn't try and it doesn't mean that I couldn't, in time, be capable of doing such."

Harry's frown deepened and he lifted his head enough to look at her. "If you had enough magic to—to-"

"To be rid of him, why wouldn't I?"

He nodded.

"It's not that easy, Harry-love," Megan hummed. She relaxed her grip, so he could sit up a bit better and smiled when he cuddled back into her side. She tugged softly, lightly on the air currents swirling about them, testing to make sure that they would stay warmed and comfortable. "To use the kind of magic that would most likely do the worst damage—I would have to give something of myself that I probably would never ever receive back."

"Like what? A vow? Your magic?"

Her chuckle was slightly dark. "Oh no, nothing quite so mundane as that," she lifted her hand from his shoulder to tug gently on his ear. "I would only reach a point of absolute desperation to offer such a sacrifice if you were to land in such unmistakable danger. I would do so, knowing that if it worked, it would cost me. The price is not something I can speak of, certain spells have certain rules that accompany them."

"W-why would you know that kind of spell?"

"Because I'm an Alpha—and it's expected that someday, I would have a Submissive I wish to protect." Megan would have shrugged, but settled for a half-smile instead. "I don't expect you to understand that, Harry, but I also don't want us to start out with secrets between us. I know you might not like the thought of such a spell or what it entails, but that was set in motion long before I ever met you and I will not be changing it."

Harry scowled. He'd had enough of people dying for him and he didn't like that she spoke so causally about something that had claimed those who were close to him—Sirius, for one. "You'd use it even if I asked you not to?" He asked, bluntly.

Megan's eyebrows arched upwards. "You could ask," she said, slowly. "But the final decision would be up to me and it would depend on the situation. I would certainly keep your feelings in mind but-"

"Feelings?" Harry burst out. "Feelings don't have anything to do with this. If the spell will kill you, then don't use it! If it's going to split your soul in pieces, then don't use it." He snapped. "How difficult is that?"

"Difficult when the spell has been ingrained in the magic that flows through my veins since I was a child," Megan said, matter-of-factly. "Changing it will likely bring about the same effects as using it."

Harry paled. "That's-!"

Megan sighed. "Leave it alone for now. If it troubles you so much, I'll ask my mentor again, if there's anything that can be done to alter it, seeing that we are now Bonded and that can change the magical chemistry of an individual." She tugged gently on his ear again. "Now focus, was there anything else you wanted to ask?"

His hands curled into loose fists, but he managed to remain relaxed. "So even if I tell you that I don't want—something, anything—you can just override it?"

Grey eyes blinked at him in complete surprise and Megan's brow furrowed into three neat creases. "Alright," she said, slowly. "I think we'll have to start all the way at the beginning. I did not say that and I did not mean it either. The spell in question that we are no longer discussing, is known as my password, it requires a specific incantation and releases my entire magical potential—and any stored energy I might have elsewhere, seeing as I am dragel. It is a personal matter between myself and my mentor, because it signified the end of my tutelage beneath them, when I was able to craft the spell and cast it once, to test it. That has absolutely no bearing on how I will handle and respond to your requests, opinions and thoughts as your bonded Alpha."

There was a quiet snort and Harry looked away for a moment. The term Submissive, rankled slightly, just enough for him to cringe under the mental storm flooding his mind. He was not a girl and he was not weak or subservient. He thought back to some of the things he'd read in Care of Magical Creatures, remembering also, a few snatched paragraphs in certain books, that spoke of Dominant-Submissive relationships and what was usually expected of the Submissive.

Megan's eyes narrowed. "Why are you really upset?"

Harry pulled away, feeling disgruntled now that the happy glow had faded. It felt silly and ridiculous to be lounging naked beneath the starry sky and having an argument about something he'd never even considered before. He did not move very far, before Megan pulled him back, drawing on her elemental gift to literally float him back into her arms. He growled, but did not speak.

She wrapped her arms around him and pressed her lips to the claim mark at the side of his neck.

He registered the meaning behind it a few seconds too late to react. A sudden, purposeful calmness washed over him, soothing his ruffled feelings and coaxing him to relax physically and mentally, stirring gently around his regenerating magic. He gave an unhappy chir, voicing his dislike for such handling, even as he leaned forward, torn between wanting to strain against her gentle hold and wishing he could stay there without feeling guilty about it.

In response, Megan simply turned her attentions to his shoulders and ears. She kissed, nibbled and licked all along the top of his shoulders and his ears, until a wave of tiredness washed over him. Reluctantly, he slumped in her arms, no longer actively fighting her hold. She rumbled in reassurance, the skin along her arms beginning to show the scales beneath them.

Eventually, Harry fell asleep to the feel of her cheek pressed against his head.

A/N: "The best revenge is living well." *Warnings in first chapter have been updated.

Hey everyone! Thank you so much for the very kind response to the last chapter. Y'all are awesome. As a result, you're getting this chapter early ! I had time to spare and since this was light and fluffy, it pretty much wrote itself. How'd you like the bonding for those two? :D It's vague on purpose as per FF's contented guidelines, since I don't have this crossposted anywhere else at the moment.

Also, there's been a recent slew of irritating flames appearing in the reviews and some nasty stuff via PM. I am fairly tolerant and easy-going, until folks start poking at my personal life, which is, quite frankly, nobody's business but my own. That said, I figured I'd just update and bump this story up again so folks who want to read it, can find it. ;) So hi and welcome to the new readers! I appreciate your support.

Just a reminder that TBDH: Straight is something that I'm writing for fun on behalf of a RL friend who requested this fic. She's a sweetheart and deserves to have something to cheer her up in life, so I agreed to write a straight version of TBDH, just for her. The warnings in the first chapter are there for a reason. Please review them, if you haven't already, so you know what you're reading and if you can't handle what I write, then click the back button and find something else. I'm not twisting your arm to read this.

Have a good weekend!

-Scion