Chapter Twenty Five

Asta placed the limp body of the fae on the couch and looked around with wide eyes. "Mama?" he whispered shakily.

Temm rushed to embrace her son, voice soothing. "Hush, Asta, this is a good thing. This will be a good thing." Asta choked slightly, hands coming up to grasp his mother's arms. "I don't even know him."

Harry made to move from Draco's protective hold, growling and smacking his dominant when the blonde refused to let go. "Keep me from helping and I'll do damage to you, Draco!" he snarled.

Draco growled deeply in response before standing, one arm still locked around the smaller boy's waist. "He could be feral."

Harry sneered at his mate. "Look at him!" he hissed, "He's smaller than me and beaten to near death! He's not doing damage to anyone, Draco."

The blonde tensed as Harry made his way over to the new submissive. The dark haired faeling murmured in sympathy as Cray lifted the stranger's head to drip a cool mixture into his abused mouth. The pale creature whimpered and Asta tensed, eyes never leaving the resting boy.

Harry looked down at the fae's face as it began to relax, no longer contorted in fury and pain. White skin smoothed over sharp features that were almost feminine in prettiness. Locks of dirty white hair lay in knotted clumps around a thin body and his eyelashes cast long shadows over his cheeks.

Harry's mouth formed a silent 'o' of surprise. "Oh Merlin," he breathed, eyes growing huge. Draco moved forward at the sight of his mate's distress, wary frown turning on the wild submissive.

His hands dropped from Harry's sides as he stared down at the now peaceful fae. He knew those features all too well. It was as though Draco was staring at a younger, sleeping version of himself.

A noise Draco had never made before escaped his parted lips in a pained murmur and Aaro was suddenly beside him, black gaze searching. Draco ignored bent down until he face was only inches from the stranger's, "How?" His voice cracked brokenly.

The fae's eyes snapped open, normal now though the irises remained a vivid crimson.

Beo came face to face with an older version of himself and did what came naturally; he screamed.

###

"Stop looking at me."

Beo smirked at the blonde's scowl in response and continued to stare, arms holding his weight as he held his bad leg up to be looked at by the dark-haired healer.

"She told me I had a brother."

The blonde, Draco, jumped at those words, his scowl darkening impressively. "And who told you that?" he asked sarcastically. Beo rolled his eyes, steady gaze landing on the golden eyed dominant to his right; his mate. "My mother, of course."

The silver haired fae shook his head slowly. "That would mean Draco's father mated with a fae and successively reproduced. Impossible."

Beo scowled at the fae's stupidity "My mother was a normal witch, sir, a human." He answered darkly. "As was I until my fifteenth birthday, I am not a born fae."

The bronze submissive, Cray, trying to comb Beo's wild curls sighed in clarity. "That would explain it," he said softly, "A fae's blessing will usually affect all the siblings in the generation it appears in. It's rare that it would skip over certain members of a... litter, for lack of a better word."

Draco sneered at Cray's terminology before turning back to Beo with guarded eyes. "He couldn't possibly be my brother," he sniffed, "children are everything to a pureblood. If father conceived him he would have been taken into the family immediately, regardless of public speculation on the matter."

Beo hissed in displeasure. "Or I would have just been killed off," he snarled. "Which is exactly why I was kept a secret. Mother knew my sire would either try to kill us both or take me away from her, which is exactly why she moved to Ireland. He has haunted her dreams since my conception."

He yelped when the comb was pulled too harshly against a knot, eyes narrowing. "Ow."

Cray grinned apologetically and looked thoughtful for a moment. "If I may ask, how did you survive your inheritance? Surely your mother wouldn't have known to take you to a clan at the first signs?"

Beo clucked his tongue, wincing as he shifted his broken ankle to the floor. "I nearly didn't." He replied logically. "Mother is a bright witch but she had no idea what was wrong with me and neither did the healers she took me too. Funnily enough, it was a children's story that gave her a solid indication. She went in search of a clan with me until one night, I fell through a fairy fort in a field." He smirked suddenly "it caused quite a bit of confusion, I would have been killed if my wings hadn't emerged." Beo shifted closer to Asta subconsciously and the black-haired man's face softened. He leaned in close to the submissive.

"Mother and I have been living with the Dorchas clan for over a year now. It was only a month ago that I was kidnapped." Draco groaned and hid his face in his hands. "This has to be a mistake." He whispered.

Beo sneered at the other faeling. "My apologies for existing, Draco."

The green eyed submissive snickered suddenly as he regarded Beo. Harry, this one's name was Harry. "Oh, come on Draco," Harry smiled when Draco cast him an annoyed galre, "If his looks weren't evidence enough to whose family he belonged to that sneer is. That Malfoy streak is most definitely genetic, not learned. Oh, my poor children will be bull-headed Slytherins." He chuckled at Draco's half-hearted sneer and the blonde turned his gaze to Beo instead.

Beo glared back. "Don't blame me for this, I didn't even know my last name! I've had a sheltered life and I was quite happy living in ignorance in Ireland!" Draco wilted as he watched Beo speak, those sharp features he knew far too well burning away any contempt he may have had for the faeling. This was his brother. His younger brother.

He growled as he stood suddenly. He towered over Beo's tiny form and Asta placed his hands on Beo protectively. With a tense smirk, Draco offered his hand to the youngest Malfoy.

"Draco Malfoy," he grinned as Beo gripped his hand without hesitation. "Welcome to the family."

###

"You're certain he cannot be trusted?"

McGonagall stared at Harry with stern eyes, weary as they were.

"I am sure, Headmistress. The minister is mad and even his own brother fears him."

McGonagall sighed, running a hand through her greying hair. "I had my suspicions about the man but I had hoped it was merely paranoia." She regarded Harry carefully. "I will leave you and the fae to do whatever you may need to Harry. Hogwarts will, as always, be a constant ally against the forces of darkness."

Harry nodded his head in thanks and rose to leave when McGonagall spoke, amusement thick in her voice. "I believe congratulations are in order, mister Potter." She said smoothly, eyeing Harry's stomach. Harry gaped, cheeks flushing darkly. "How did you...?"

McGonegal smirked dryly. "I have my ways, Harry. Do tell me when you near your due date, classes will be dismissed accordingly. Should you need to acquire some... maternal appliances, you are most welcome to use the floo services in my office."

Harry stammered a quick thank you, cheeks crimson, before fleeing the office.

His blush had faded by the time he reached the fae's living room and he grinned as Mayca entered a moment later, face pale from lack of sleep." How is she?"

Mayca huffed a dry laugh. "Ria is doing beautifully now that she has come back to her senses and Bay's shoulder is healing nicely. She didn't bite him that hard. He's quite elated with the healthy arrival of his first son. The little one will be named Naro for his deceased father."

Harry sniffed. "That's lovely." He whispered, eyes glistening suddenly. Mayca glanced at him swiftly with a bark of laughter. "Hormones getting to you, Harry?"

Beo glanced up from his book with a sly grin and Harry stuck his tongue out at him. The tiny faeling had become a welcome presence for everyone in the last two weeks. His injuries were healing remarkably and he looked shiny and new as he grinned up at Harry now. Though he bore his older brother's likeness and sceptical smirk, Beo was a far more mischievous and excitable creature.

At sixteen, he had been expecting Beo to raise hell and demand to be brought home, but the youngest Malfoy had merely asked to send a letter to his clan and his mother. His gaze had strayed to Asta when he had claimed that he wished to stay in the safety of the castle a while longer.

Harry grinned like a soppy fool as Asta drifted in and out of sleep beside his mate, Beo's injured foot lying on his lap. The man was whipped by the submissive's pretty face and Irish accent, a feature that served to irk Draco like nothing ever had.

Draco stalked from their bedroom, ruffling Beo's waist-length curls as he passed. Beo growled in annoyance and Harry chuckled. Sometimes the brothers were far too alike.

The silver eyed faeling wrapped his arms around Harry's waist. "You've told McGonagall?" Harry nodded, head tilting back to rest against the blonde's chest with a sigh.

"She was wary of the minister herself. Where's Aaro?"

Draco chuckled. "He is bidding farewell to May and Diomh. They will be gone for May's final month; she wishes to have the baby in France, with her original clan."

Harry hummed in thought. "I should have said good luck. Is she still adamant not to know the sex of the baby until the birth?" Draco nodded with a dry laugh, "though it is killing Diomh not to know."

A wail brought their conversation up short and Harry glanced up to see Cray rushing towards his son's room, bottle in hand. Clúdthe remained on the floor watching the board game lest Shell decide to cheat things in her favour.

Harry sighed happily and tried to ignore his gut as it screamed at him that this was merely the calm before the storm.