Look another chapter! Aren't you all loved! This one has a shocking ending just letting you all know!
Thanks goes out to my awesome Beta BAfan! for all her work.
Harry groaned and rolled over to cuddle into the body next to him. Siles, Monday night, had gone back to his own bed; Harry had another nightmare, and woke up terrified. Siles, much like the night before, felt called to Harry and came to him. Harry had snuggled against Siles and drifted back to sleep. Tuesday night, after Siles had settled into bed, Harry wandered into his room and climbed into bed with him.
That was last night. This morning Harry woke up feeling well-rested. He hadn't had any nightmares, and he . . . well, he felt WONDERFUL. He smiled happily to himself as he snuggled closer into Siles' side. Siles shifted and tightened his hold on Harry. He lay awake cuddled with Siles, enjoying the warmth for as long as he could.
It felt like a good amount of time before a buzzing noise filled the air. Siles shifted around a little trying not to jolt Harry. The two of them lay together for a few more minutes before Siles started running his hands through Harry's hair, causing Harry to purr and snuggle closer. "Harry, I've got to get up. I have lessons today."
"Mm, okay," Harry responded, still snuggling against Siles. He sighed, and rolled away from Siles some. Just enough to glance up at Siles, who leant forward and caught Harry in a kiss.
"Did you sleep better?" he asked after they broke apart. Harry was flushed, and he nodded in confirmation. "Good, I guess we should see about having the elves move my things into your room. Since yours is bigger," Siles suggested.
"Really? You don't mind sharing with me?" Harry asked, his voice radiating excitement.
"No, Harry, I do not mind sharing with you; in fact I quite enjoyed the last few night sleeping with you cuddled with me. I have to admit that it's the best sleep I've had in a while," Siles said.
"The only time I've slept this well was the night I feel asleep in the twins' room at the Burrow last summer," Harry told him. "It's also the only time I've shared a bed with anyone."
"Well, we will get to snuggle every night. Now, let's get up. You should go back to your room and ready yourself for today. I'll get ready in here for now. Come on, up and at it!" Siles said as he got out of bed. Harry rolled over and got to his feet as well.
He stretched and yawned. "Okay, I'll see you at breakfast?" Harry asked.
"Yes," Siles replied while pulling some clothing out of a dresser.
"Ok," Harry said before turning and leaving the bedroom. He dressed himself for the day in one of his pretty green shirts, with vines designed at the bottom, and some black cargo pants. He grabbed his hairbrush, and quickly ran it though his hair. It tangled quite a bit, and Harry was quite frustrated by the time he finished. He then made his way down to breakfast to find Bartok, Anna, and Siles already seated at the table. "Good morning."
"Good morning," Bartok and Anna both responded. Bartok continued, "Harry, we talked yesterday, and Anna has taken the day off to join you and Severus in the Markets today."
"It's been awhile since I've taken a vacation day, and even longer since I last visited the Markets," Anna said with a smile.
"That sounds great! I love the Markets; they are so much fun!" Harry exclaimed with a big smile.
"Yes, but we will first get all your needed supplies, then you can explore more," Anna said sternly.
"Yes, Mum, don't worry, I know. School stuff first," Harry responded with a giggle. Their attention was drawn by the dining room door opening. Issy came skipping in, followed by a frazzled-looking David, and a grinning Lyle.
"GOOD MORNING!" Issy greeted everyone, very chipper. David sat on the other side of Harry, eyes still wide and a little out of it.
"Is Dad okay?" Harry asked, studying David. It was then that Lyle started cracking up.
"Oh, he's fine, just let him drink some coffee," Issy said, while serving herself food.
"He's just startled; he got jumped this morning. It was one HELL of a wakeup call," Lyle barked out, laughing. [Issy's obviously feeling better - morning sickness is over?]
Harry blushed and looked between his parents. "I don't think I wanted to know that…" he stated.
"I know that I didn't!" Siles responded, pushing his plate away from him. "I've got to be going. Harry, have fun at the Markets, and stay out of trouble." He placed a quick kiss on Harry's lips, causing him to flush again.
"You too," Harry managed. Siles bid farewell to everyone else as he left.
"Would you like me to do your hair before you leave? It might be a little frustrating down for you."Issy suggested.
"Yes, please. I still haven't got used to its length."
"Don't forget your potions, Harry," Anna instructed.
"Right, got them, Mum." Harry finished eating, then downed his potions. Once Issy was finished the two of them went back to Harry's room, so that Issy could work on his hair.
"Hey, Mummy, Siles said he's going to move his stuff into my room, since sharing a bed helps me sleep better and my room's big enough for the two of us." Harry at this point was starting to fidget and ramble. Issy took pity on Harry, and started tickling him, making him squeal and thrash around.
"That's fine, Harry; just don't make me a grandma for a few more years, please," she responded with a chuckle.
"Mummy, that's not funny." Harry said once he caught his breath.
"It is a little," Issy replied as she slipped from the couch onto the floor so that she was next to Harry. She laid her head against his shoulder. "Your first mate and you're courting's going great. I am so happy for you…" she said, and there was a little sniffle at the end.
"You okay, Mum?" Harry asked, as he snuggled closer to her.
"Yeah, I'm fine. Just hormones. I can't help thinking it's all happening too soon. I just got you, and . . . and I want to go all mama bear on you and beat all your courters off with a stick, making them go away so that you can be just a kid a little longer," she replied with a pout that was only half-joking.
"You can baby me as much as you want, for as long as you want. I enjoy it a lot, truthfully," Harry admitted.
A knock on the door caused them both to look up. Anna stood there smiling at both of them, with Severus standing behind her. "Are you two done with your bonding time?" she asked, teasing.
"No, we are not!" Issy announced as she hugged Harry to her chest. "You can't have him!" she said, teasing back.
"Mummy!" Harry cried out as she started tickling him again. "Ha! NO, stop! Someone . . . haha, save . . . haha."
Anna rolled her eyes at the two. "All right, children, break it up! Issy, you should get be getting yourself off to school. Harry, ready to leave?" she asked.
Harry smiled and stood up, "Yes, I'm ready."
Harry held on to Severus as they stepped out of the Floo together, Severus holding Harry secure in his arms until he got his footing. Harry mumbled a quiet thank you, and stepped back once he was stable. They both stepped aside just as Anna flooed in behind them.
"All right, let's take a look at your list" Severus requested. Harry handed his list to Severus, who looked it over. "All right, I know a vendor who can provide us with a large portion of these. Shall we?" Severus offered his arm to Harry, who blushed but looped his arm with Severus's, allowing him to take the lead.
The three of them made their way, weaving though the stalls. They stopped briefly at a few stalls where Severus saw an ingredient that Harry would need. Harry was able to identify a lot of them, and Severus provided him tips on picking out the best quality. Severus insisted on not only paying for all of it but also on carrying all the bags, even though most of it was put into a charmed, expanded, weightless bag. He even insisted on carrying Anna's purchases as well.
Two hours and lots of stalls later, Harry's list had been narrowed down to only two missing items. Severus suggested that they stop for lunch, once more his treat. They stopped at a small Elvish diner where Severus ordered a few sample dishes for Harry to test the different cooking style. Harry was thrilled to try the new dishes, and grilled the young Elven server about the ingredients. By the end of lunch Harry had an idea of what he wanted to try for the next Sunday dinner. It turned out to be a family restaurant, and the server sent Harry home with a few recipes that he had written down.
After lunch the three of them went back to the busy parts of the Markets in search of the last two items on Harry's list. The first was the webbing of a special spider, and then the last was the seed of a fruit that they would have to pick up on the other side of the Market. It did not take them to long to locate the spider, and Harry was astonished by it. The spider's body was about the size of an apple, and it was neon orange with black speckles covering it. It was the strangest-looking spider Harry had ever seen.
The spider was kept in a large tank with a layer of sand on the bottom, in which it was partly buried. "Hello, we need a bundle of webbing from the Orangerspid," Severus requested. The man behind the stall came over to the tank holding a thin stick. The man tapped on the side of the tank, making the spider twitch.
"Do you have it trained to give webbing on demand?" Harry asked. The man laughed, and told Harry to watch. The man picked up a hammer, and started banging on the table that the spider's tank sat on. The spider buried its head in the sand and popped its bottom up in the air and started spraying vast amount of webbing that thickened. It was very thick webbing. The vendor stopped bashing on the table. He then removed the top of the tank and used the stick to swoop the webbing around it. Harry could not help but notice that it looked a little like candy floss. The vendor then put it into a bag and cast a spell that sucked all of the air from it.
"The spider reacts to vibrations; the webbing makes a thick cocoon around the spider to protect him," he explained. "Then it hardens when it reacts to the air. That's why I had to put it in the bag with the air sucked out. Once it's hard it can't be used in the potions. So make sure to seal it up when you're done." The vender passed the bag of webbing over to Harry.
"Thank you, is the spider okay?" Harry asked, slightly concerned.
"Spud can't hear, only feel the vibrations. So all I did was startle him, no harm done. He's fine. When we get home I'll feed him some bugs, and he will happily laze around in his tank with the others. They are harmless spiders, and very lazy during the day, being nocturnal creatures," the vendor explained.
"How many do you have?" Harry asked.
"Oh quite a few; we have 20 males and 3 females. One female has a sac of eggs. They can have up to 50 young per sac, we will not know how many until they hatch. They cocoon for almost a year, like many spider species from the Selaserine," the vendor told Harry.
"Selaserine, that's the home dimension of the Elves, right?"
"Yes, that's right. Most of the spiders come from the darker parts of that dimension; however, just because they grow up in a dark place, doesn't mean they are evil or anything. Spud is a cuddler, not that many would want to. The spiders like warmth and are very fuzzy, however they like to make the approach versus us approaching them."
"Come now, Harry, we must be going," Anna said, cutting in.
"Right! Thank you, have a good day." Harry said his farewells, and then linked arms once more with Severus as they started walking to the produce section of the Markets. "You said that our last ingredient was seeds?"
"Yes, but we are going to have to dig them out of the fruit. Fortunately, the good thing about these fruits is they are very tasty," Severus explained.
"That's great! While we are there, I wanted to grab a few other things," Harry said, excited. Severus smiled at Harry as he continued to guide him through the marketplace. Once over in the produce section, Harry stopped to gather some of the fruits that he was able to try last time and knew that he liked.
When they finally found the fruit that was last on the list, Harry wasn't all surprised that Severus was right. The fruit was divine! It was much like a pomegranate. Severus showed Harry how to roll it to pop the fruit sacks and then suck out the juice. There were many seeds inside that Harry would have to soak in some water once he was home. After that the trio wandered around the fruit stands, allowing Harry to gather the few other items that he wanted.
"Flower?" Harry stopped as soon as he heard the voice from behind them. He turned and much to his delight found Gonzaku behind him. The larger man smiled at Harry. "Hello, pretty Flower."
"Hello, Gonzaku, how are you today?" Harry smiled back at the gentle man who had saved him the last time he was in the Courts.
"Gonzaku good, Flower come with me?" requested Gonzaku, pointing over to the stall where Mrs. Mizzy was busy with other customers.
"Sure, if the others don't mind," Harry said giving questioning looks at his mom and Severus. The two shared a look, Anna shrugged, and Severus smiled at Harry.
"We do not mind, Mr Gonzaku, if you would lead the way," Severus replied. Gonzaku waved the others to follow him as he made his way through the crowd toward the stall. Mrs. Mizzy looked up and smiled brightly at the trio as they neared, following close behind Gonzaku.
"Gonzaku, you found your Flower again. Hello, dear ones!" The old lady greeted happily.
"Hello again, Mrs. Mizzy, how are you doing?" Harry said as he greeted the stall owner.
"Oh, you know, a few aches here, a few aches there. How about you, dear one? Nasty dealings you had last time. All better now?" she inquired.
"Yes, Gonzaku took good care of me last time."
"Yes, he's such a good lad."
Gonzaku grunted, "Wait, Flower. Gonzaku get gift." The Bugbear patted Harry on the head before moving behind the stall.
Mrs. Mizzy grinned at Harry. "Gonzaku has been more energetic since he met you. I think he has grown attached," she informed Harry, who blushed. "I took him in because he was outcast, he was but a child. I took care of him, and then in time he took care of me. How I have hoped he would find an attachment elsewhere, a potential mate. I do hope, dear, that you would at least consider Gonzaku?"
Harry looked startled for a minute. "You mean he wants to court me?"
"He has not vocalized it, and I don't think he will. He is very insecure about himself. His own people did not even want him, just because he was different. He is a kind, gentle giant."
"Flower, look. Gonzaku has gift." Harry turned around to face Gonzaku who had come up behind him. In his hands, he held a pot with a flower in it. The flower was black, with white ripples outlining the petals, and in the center of each petal were three emerald circles. "A flower, for Flower," Gonzaku said as he held the pot out to Harry. Harry heard both Anna and Severus gasp from beside him.
"Thank you, Gonzaku, it's beautiful," Harry said as he accepted the flower.
"That is a Jadenion, it is a very rare flower," Anna told Harry.
"It's lovely, Gonzaku, thank you." Gonzaku knelt in front of Harry, and reached out to stroke Harry's cheek. He then reached down and stroked the petals on the flower, causing it to glow lightly and bloom even more. Harry reached out and placed his hand on Gonzaku's shoulder. "I really do mean it, this is a lovely gift."
Gonzaku reached up and stroked Harry's cheek once more. "Lovely Flower."
Harry reached up and stroked the hand. He pulled the hand away from his face and held it in his own. "Gonzaku, would you by chance . . . I mean, do you want to court me?" Harry asked hesitantly.
"Flower wants Gonzaku?" Harry could feel Gonzaku's magic flutter against his hand. It was soft, warm, and comforting.
"Yes," Harry responded immediately.
"Gonzaku is yours," Gonzaku said as he placed a kiss on Harry's ribbon. Both of their magics swirled around, and the grass below the two of them grew, and flowers bloomed. Gonzaku's magic settled around Harry's ribbon. A name did not appear; however, black runes outlined in green did.
Harry's eyes widened. "Uhh, Mom?" Harry managed to get out, surprised.
"My, Lady Magic sure loves surprises, doesn't she?" Anna said teasingly.
CLIFF HANGER! HANGING FROM A CLIFFFFFF, and that's why they call him CLiff Hanger!
BWHAHAHAHA