Chapter 25

Edited: 01/12/17 10:03 AM

Warnings: Basic plot, dirty talk, fluff, mild angst

Harry jumped when he felt the hand place itself upon his head. Glancing up, he saw Fenrir standing beside him; looking out at the same sight as Harry. The full moon was a little over twenty four hours away, and everyone was doing everything they could think to make sure Harry would be comfortable; and to make sure the children didn't wander too far from them with the change. He still hadn't spoken to Remus about what was going to happen between him and Moony. He'd gotten the general idea from the books he spent the past few weeks reading, but Harry had also hoped to talk to Remus about at least some concerns he had.

"How are you enjoying your stay?" He and Fenrir still faced every one as they went about getting ready for the moon; the only contact Harry had with the older man was where his hand rested on his head.

"I love it. Everyone here is amazing. You have a wonderful Pack, Alpha. I am glad to be welcomed in." Fenrir couldn't help grinning. The boy knew just the way to say things to make his wolf puff out in pride.

"Good to know, hopefully this means you'll come by more and maybe convince my unruly pup to stay around longer." Harry laughed softly, watching Remus carrying stacks of wood with kids hanging on his legs smiling.

"I'll do my best, but he can be pretty stubborn." Fenrir snorted, ruffling Harry's hair and wondering how the boy kept the obviously thick mane so soft.

"He kisses after the steps you make, I have no doubt you can handle him." Sudden silence fell between them and the sounds of everyone else moved to a buzz in the background. Fenrir stepped slightly in front of Harry, before turning sideways to keep his eyes on the smaller male and the others of the Pack.

"Have you spoken to him about your worries of tomorrow?" Harry stiffened at the words, but forced himself to relax. Fenrir may not be a friend but he wasn't an enemy either.

"…There isn't much to talk about. I read up on everything there is to know about Werewolves and mating. I'm just…nervous about it is all." Fenrir watched Harry's natural body reactions as he spoke to see if he was being honest.

"You're worried about him rutting you in front of everyone, right?" Harry stiffened again, a flush working its way on his cheeks as he tried to ignore the sudden pounding of his heart. He wished Fenrir wasn't so blunt sometimes.

"…maybe…okay, yes. It's just…he's my first partner. I've never thought about letting people see me…like that. I mean, the only people who have seen me naked outside of medical professionals are the guys I went to school with – which all happened to be completely platonic. I understand it's natural for you all to be at ease in your skin; that's why I have resided myself to the fact that I'm just going to have to get used to it. I just can't work my mind around knowing all of you will have seen me having sex, letting you all see me naked is hard enough." Harry snipped at the end, his tone of voice taking a note of frustration. Fenrir threw his arm over Harry's shoulder, nuzzling his beard covered cheek into Harry's smooth one. Against his will, Harry relaxed under the action and leaned into his touch.

"Don't let it darken your opinions on us. We look human, we have the same tendencies as humans, but in reality we're wolves; we're animals. It's natural for a new Pack mate to be mated by the Alpha first; so feel lucky we've decided to skip that part." Fenrir teased with a wink, 'oomph'ing when Harry elbowed him in the ribs. The dark flush of red that spread across Harry's cheeks was only a plus in Fenrir's book, especially since Harry was still relaxed against his side.

"…you all aren't going to stare, are you?" Fenrir grinned, keeping his grip around Harry to provide some comfort even though he could tell Harry was embarrassed by his comment.

"I don't know what you consider staring, but we will acknowledge what's happening. It's important to recognize all important moments for all Pack members. Mating bonds are special; we share them as a Pack as much as we do solitary. I think Remus is most concerned with Moony hurting you accidentally. Wolves are energetic, primal; we take what we know is ours." Harry flushed a little darker still, already having thought of all the things Moony might do. It had made for every interesting nights for Harry before him and Remus had mated.

"…is that you telling me he's just going to go right at it?" Fenrir barked out a loud laugh, causing people to look over at them in curiosity. After all, it wasn't every day that the stern Alpha let himself go. Harry elbowed him once more in the ribs, mumbling under his breath about 'stupid Alpha's'.

"Shut up, I'm serious! I can make sure I'll be fine before; Remmy doesn't need to worry about me at all. The hardest part is still trying to wrap my mind around everything I know is going to happen. I know for sure though that Moony would never hurt me intentionally; so I have no real worries." The conviction Fenrir heard in Harry's voice regarding Remus' wolf filled him with pride and hope.

'Maybe some Wizards aren't so bad…' Ruffling Harry's hair again, Fenrir nuzzled him once more before walking towards the center of the village with a casual wave behind him.

"You ever need anything, come knock on my door pup!" Fenrir called from over his shoulder, grinning when Harry smiled at him with a wave in return.

"I was wondering what you two were talking about; seems like nothing too serious, and nothing I need to worry about."

"Remmy!" Harry said excitedly, leaning up to kiss the older man when he wrapped him in a hug.

"Glad to see I'm missed, guess I'll have to run off for a few hours if I want such a greeting again." Harry playfully head-butted Remus' chin before kissing it. He really had missed Remus and it had nothing to do with him being gone for a while.

"We were just talking about some things, nothing too important. How is everything going?" Remus smiled, nuzzling Harry as he pressed him to his chest.

"Everything's good. We got the extra storage shed built, and a few of the outer fences way off fixed up in case any of the pups wandered off during the change. Speaking of pups, I saw Roman with a cute bundle of flowers that smelled like you yesterday." Harry flushed when Remus mentioned Roman and his eyes lit up.

"I found him watching me and thought I'd give him a little show that not all magic is bad. And maybe I was hoping to put a smile on his face." Harry added when Remus just stared at him with his brow raised. Remus kissed along Harry's jaw, listening to him talk about the details from how he found Roman watching him to him running off.

"You really like him." Remus stated, not questioning or trying to corner Harry with his declaration. Harry's eyes went soft, and he nodded slowly; unsure if that was a bad thing or not.

"Honestly…? He reminds me of myself when I was younger, and met strangers for the first time. It's hard, when you lose something like that. Even so, what happened to him; its heart breaking. Deep down, I can tell he's such a sweet kid and you know me; I love kids." Remus felt his chest tighten at Harry's words and he pulled him even closer; pressing his lips to his temple.

"I know pup, I know." Harry rubbed at Remus' arms that were wrapped around his waist, tilting his head to press his face into Remus' neck.

"I need to get back to work, but I thought I'd tell you what I saw yesterday when Roman got home with his present." Harry perked up at the words, picking his head up slightly to look Remus in the eyes.

"He ran up to the Lea, that's the woman who cares for him; in case you were wondering. When she came outside, he had tears running down his cheeks with the biggest smile I've ever seen. When she asked if he got the beautiful flowers from a friend, he said an angel gave them to him." Remus pressed his lips to Harry's forehead when he heard the soft sob and rubbed his hands up and down Harry's arms.

"He got that part right." Was whispered softly as Harry pressed his face into Remus' neck further to hide his eyes from the others walking around them. He felt horribly exposed as the intense emotion rushed through him in regards to Roman. The intensity was a surprise, but Harry just drifted into Remus' arms and let the wave take him.

(HP)

"I want to go with you today. Hermione is busy with your brother, right? Then it shouldn't be a problem." Ginny sighed, fiddling with the ends of her hair like she did when she was frustrated.

"That isn't the point. I really don't need to go out; I can go later this week. It's just to check up on my dress for Hermione's wedding." Draco came up behind her and hugged her close, kissing her cheek.

"Is there reason you don't want me to go to Diagon Alley? Does this have anything to do with what happened last time?" When he felt Ginny tense in his arms, he began to rub her arms as if to ward off whatever thoughts she was thinking.

"It's not going to happen again, no matter how worried you are. I'm okay, and no one is going to hurt me."

"You can't know that." Was the immediate reply that came from Ginny, soft and full of worry. Turning her in his arms, he placed a kiss on her forehead.

"You knew the risks when we got together, but you stayed. You knew the possible danger you could be in, the scorn you would receive; yet you stayed. I knew the consequences, have experienced a handful of them and guess what? I'm still staying, I'm not leaving; and I won't back down. I won't fear leaving my home every day because some twit was upset that I refused to marry her sister. I have exactly who I want to marry, and no one is going to stop me." He traced her cheekbone with his thumb, smiling when he saw her trying to fight off tears.

"Have I told you you're a bastard?" Draco chuckled, wrapping her close in his arms.

"Yeah, I think you might have."

"Good." She whispered, gently pressing her lips to Draco's.

(HP)

"So I see you haven't gone to speak to Sirius yet, but that's not a great surprise to me." Severus groaned, swallowing the rest of his drink and glaring at McGonagall.

"I thought I locked you from my rooms." She grinned, twirling her wand in her hand before tucking it back in her robes.

"Yes well, I think Hogwarts seems to agree with my goal to get you to pull your head from your arse." Growling, he stood and moved over to his desk to gather up a ton of his graded papers to take with him to class tomorrow.

"Why can't you just leave me alone, you meddlesome woman? Is there truly no work for you to do that you have to pester me every night?" Severus growled again, slamming his hands down on the desk. He hadn't been able to stop thinking about grey eyes and soft kisses, even in his sleep. Every time he finally could distract himself from thinking of the other man, McGonagall would show up and start nagging him. Between the dreams of Black, the chaos of his students, and McGonagall pesky nosing about; he was at his wits end.

"I did all my work for the day, plus my life wouldn't be fulfilled if I didn't pester you in some form or another. I only worry about you Severus, you've been alone for so long. You seemed, dare I say – happy – when you had whatever it was you had going on with Sirius. Is that such a bad thing?" Not saying anything, but continuing to glare at her; Severus waited until she sighed and gave in.

"Oh well, I tried." Walking back towards the door as if she had given up for the night, Severus felt great happiness in his success.

"Oh, I almost forgot; how rude of me." The smirk she sent over her shoulder made Severus shiver in fear; not that he would ever admit being afraid of McGonagall.

"I offered a job to Sirius right after winter break to teach the children how to learn their animagus. Now that I think about it though, I might ask him to move into the castle before winter break. Just to get used to being back here, and all." Severus would deny that his mouth had fallen open in shock, and Minerva just continued to walk towards the door. It seems like he had reason to fear her after all.

"Have a good evening Severus."

'Merlin that was Slytherin if I ever saw it.' With a groan, he pressed the heel of his hand to his face and wondered what was going to happen to him if he had to face Sirius every single day.

(HP)

Hermione was sitting at the table with Fleur, drinking tea while Victorie was napping. She had come by to talk to the older woman. Fleur being married – also to a Weasley – left Hermione feeling more comfortable in asking the older witch some questions she had.

"What is it you wanted to ask me 'Mione?" Fleur spoke softly, smiling as she sat her tea down. Hermione cleared her throat, fidgeting with her hair as she did when she was nervous. They wedding was going to be in roughly three weeks, and there was no reason to be this nervous yet; at least she felt she shouldn't be.

"Were you…nervous when it got closer to when you were going to marry Bill?" Fleur smiled knowingly, nodding her head.

"Of course. I had never even dreamed that I would find someone so perfect for me that I was so blissfully unaware how nervous I really was. When the date got closer, I actually ran back home to my mama and refused to come back to Bill." Hermione stared at the woman in shock, flushing when she just laughed.

"It was embarrassing when Bill showed up to my home and demanded to see me. He thought that I had found someone else, and he came to beg for me back. He is truly a wonderful man." Fleur said eyes soft as she rubbed her slowly rounding stomach. Hermione noticed the motion and couldn't help but smile.

"I love Ron more than I've ever loved anyone. I got angry with him when he hadn't proposed to me. I've been so happy, I am happy, I'm only…oh I can't lie; I'm so nervous I feel like I'm going to be sick half the time." Fleur laughed; the sound bell-like and gentle.

"That is completely normal 'Mione. Honestly that feeling will only get worse until it's actually said and done. I promise that everything will be fine; there is nothing to worry about." Fleur reached across the table to take Hermione's hand in her own.

"You will be a beautiful bride; Ronald will fall in love with you all over again when he stands up at the altar waiting for you. I promise you will feel better soon." Hermione swallowed the lump that built in her throat, and nodded her head.

"Thank you Fleur, I just didn't know who else to speak to. Everyone I normally would is so busy now-a-days, and no one has been in this situation; except Mrs. Weasley, but we all know how that conversation would end." They both laughed the tension in the air dissipating as they sipped their tea and continued to talk about the family, and upcoming plans.

(HP)

"Fred! George! You boys back there?!" Arthur called out, heading towards the back of the shop. His wife had called him before he left work and asked to pick up the boys for a family dinner; missing having some of her youngest children at the table. He heard a muffled noise, but ignored it in order to call out again.

"Boys, your mother wants you for family dinner tonight. I promised to stop by and get you both." He heard some shuffling before a reply.

"'Course we'd never miss that dad, we'll meet you back at home; very serious project in the works as of right now." Arthur sighed, but nodded his head.

"Alright, where's your brother? S'rare to hear one of you talking without the other." George smirked, looking at Fred who was pressed up against the wall in front of him.

"Oh he's busy making sure nothing messes up. You know how he gets about his potions." Fred was flushed red, panting softly and biting his lip.

"Of course, yes. Just make sure you both make it, or it'll be all of our heads."

"See ya then dad!" George called out, waiting until he heard the shop door close again before smirking; gripping onto Fred tighter and pressing forward sharply. Fred finally let out a keen, tilting his head back against the wall with a moan as he dug his nails into George's shoulders.

"Now brother, where were we?"

"I think about here." Lee said, teasing his fingers between Fred's cleft. Fred could only moan into George's mouth, surrendering to the touches of his boyfriends. Looks like they would be late for dinner.

(HP)

Tarus walked into the kitchen, staring at his father who stood at the sink washing the dishes from the morning's meal. It was the day of the full moon, and everyone was pretty nervous about the impending bond. It was the first time a wolf in their Pack had mated a human or wizard before without the intention of turning them.

"Dad? How are you feeling today?" He called softly, hating the smell of illness the seeped from his father more and more every day. Even with the break he'd taken from patrolling, it didn't seem to be getting better like he'd hoped. Tar turned with a small smile to his son, finishing up the dishes and drying his hands.

"I'm doing well. You never come to see me this much, everything alright buddy?" Tarus felt his stomach flip the way they always did when his father called him by that nickname. He hadn't starting calling him that again until his mother passed. Thinking about her still caused a sharp ache in his chest; he couldn't picture what it was like for his father every day.

"I'm alright, just wanted to see how you were doing since you've been kind of sick. A little nervous about tonight, but I'm sure everything will be ok." Tar walked over, hugging his son and nuzzling him to leave his scent on him.

"You seem to like Harry a lot, how has your time been with him?" Tarus smiled, nuzzling himself into his father's chest. Even at his age, he was still shorter than his dad who stood at six-five.

"I do dad. I don't know what it is about him but he makes me feel so calm and protected. It's weird, 'cause he's not dominant but he has such a dominant standing in how he treats you; you know?" Tar nodded, keeping his arm around Tarus as they moved into the living room.

"I understand; your mother's brother was like that. I knew him before we moved on and became a part of Fenrir's pack. He was a submissive, just like you. I believe that's where you inherited it from, not that it's a bad thing. The one thing I remember about your uncle Jared and his dominant partner Lukas was how calming I always was around them. One day, when your grandfather had passed, your mother was out of sorts. I myself was torn because he had been like a sort of father figure to me. Lukas had gone to make sure your mother was okay, and your uncle Jared wrapped his arm around my shoulders and just listened to me run off at the mouth. I felt like a pup wet behind the ears, but at the same time; I felt so protected and calm. Believe it or not, he was two times smaller than me!" Tar barked out, coughing a little before clearing his throat.

"Those who are submissive have what some would call the 'mothering instinct'. They give you that sense of calm and protection you would feel from a parent or older sibling. Harry has the instinct if I've ever seen it and you two have connected on that level that older and younger submissive's connect on." The look on Tarus face looked happy yet torn. Tar wrapped his arm around Tarus, pulling him closer.

"I don't think you've forgotten your mother Tarus, I know you'd never forget her. I'm glad you've connected with Harry. You need someone you can relate too, who you can lean on when things get hard. I'm not great with understanding your submissive nature, though I do my best. Harry is obviously good for you, I haven't seen you smile so much since your mother passed. I'm glad to see you smiling again buddy." Tarus bit his lip as he felt his eyes tear up and he wrapped his arms tight around his father. The smell of illness was getting worse and worse every day, no matter how much he told himself that his father was getting better; Tarus had a feeling the end was sooner than he'd like to believe.

"Thanks dad, I really do like Harry. He makes me feel good, and he takes care of Remus." Tar smiled, running his fingers through Tarus' hair and smiling.

"I know it's alright Tarus; we all need someone like that." He cleared a cough from his throat again and swallowed the small amount of copper he could taste in his mouth.

"I think I'm going to go find Remus and see if he needs anymore help before the moon comes. Why don't you go find Harry? I heard from Remus that he's trying to win little Roman over." Tarus grinned up at his father, and nodded.

"Of course dad, and somehow that doesn't surprise me at all. I'll see you tonight." With a quick kiss to Tar's cheek, Tarus headed out in search for Harry. Tar frowned, finally allowing himself to cough harder once he heard Tarus leave. Rising from the couch, he wiped the back of his hand over his mouth; briefly glancing at the blood before heading to the sink to wash it off.

'Damn Linda, what am I gonna do?'