Chapter 34 – Draco's Headache

In the fortnight following the birth of Briar Nathaniel and Callum Mitchel Zabini, Harry was in a place somewhere between mothering everything that moved and hissing at everything that moved. No one was exempt from his behaviour, not even Draco; who was thankful he always fell into the category of being mothered. Hermione was of the opinion that Draco cheated his way into Harry's good books by volunteering to watch Carla and Laynee the second he saw the mood his mate was in. Draco neither admitted nor refuted her claim and once she saw Harry interact with the girls she admitted it was the best thing to do.

It was the work of minutes to convince the elven couple to allow the girls to stay with the broody kitty every second weekend; something everyone was secretly happy about.

~~~Dracoisasneakyvampy~~~

When Draco and Blaise arrived at Remus' rooms, Draco knew he was in for a long day. He was proven right when as soon as the two boys entered the room, Blaise was attacked by his younger sisters while Draco was bombarded by several owls at once, each clambering for his attention. When one of them snapped at Carla when she tried to greet the blonde, Harry surrounded each bird with a ball of shadow and proceeded to hiss at them between scolding them on proper behaviour for delivery owls. By the time the young male had calmed enough to release the thoroughly disgruntled creatures, Carla was laughing hard enough that she had forgotten about almost losing her finger to one of the birds.

With a dark glare at the birds, Harry greeted Draco by rubbing his cheek against Draco's. Not wanting his mate to be in a bad mood for the entire day, Draco licked the younger male's nose. Harry giggled softly and pouted up at him.

"I'd better see what the monsters have for me," Draco said in an almost whisper.

"Why?"

Draco smiled down a his now honestly pouting mate and placed a soft kiss to the spot he had just licked.

"Because one of them may have something important for me," he answered, "though why they were waiting for me here rather than leaving the letters in my room like they normally do is beyond me."

"It could be due to you spending more time in my rooms than your own," Remus stated with dry amusement. "I don't mind them coming here for you, but I will put my foot down if the house-elves transfer you and Blaise here; It's bad enough they did it with Sirius."

The group ignored Sirius' mock exclamation of emotional pain with the ease of years of practice.

"No offense Remus, but we would protest as well," Blaise stated. "First and foremost because we are not yet bonded to our mates and secondly … who wants to live with a teacher while at school?"

"I wouldn't mind living with a teacher at school," Draco stated as he finished greeting the girls and turned his attention to attempting to remove his mail without getting mauled by the owls carrying them. "It is Sirius who I would protest living with while at school."

"You do realise I did live with him at school," Remus pointed out, laughing internally at the sound of Sirius' head hitting the table after letting out a semi-pained wail. The man was a drama queen at the best of times and it was always hilarious to set him off.

"You are a braver man than I," Draco responded, completely serious as he opened the first letter. After glancing through it, he rubbed his forehead and read it again in more detail, resisting the urge to throw something. He really should NOT have got up this morning.

~~~DontworryDraco,weallhavethosedays~~~

Harry watched Draco pace with worried eyes. While earlier that morning he had been distracted by the presence of Carla and Laynee, he could now see and react to things that didn't involve kittens: something he knew he should work on now he was being courted. Glancing at the girls to ensure they were okay (they were both giggling over a colouring-in book Blaise and Hermione bought them as they competed over who could make their picture look the silliest so he assumed they were) he carefully stopped behind Draco and hugged him.

Draco jumped in shock at his mate's touch, not expecting him to notice anything besides Carla and Laynee.

"Can I help?" Harry asked in a whisper.

"I'm not sure," Draco replied with a slight frown. "Well, some you can but I'm not sure about others."

"Can you talk about them with me?"

Draco smiled and brushed his hands over Harry's.

"Yeah, I can talk about them," he said eventually with a sigh.

"Then I will go make us and the girls a drink and you can talk with us a bit to calm down, then we can talk about what has you so worked up when the girls go out with Hermione and Blaise for lunch," Harry responded, rubbing his hands soothingly down Draco's side. With a soft press of his lips to Draco's back, he vanished into a different room.

Draco stared after him, mind a million miles away. He snapped out of it at the sound of a soft giggle.

"Can I help you?" he asked as he turned to face the girls. To his shock, both girls looked at each other and, on top of their lungs, yelled out:

"Draco and Harry sitting in a tree K. I. S. S. I. N. G!"

Quickly shaking off his shock and slightly flushed due to embarrassment, Draco let out a half-mocked growl and leapt at the girls – who screamed playfully and bolted from the lounge they were seated at.

Harry, from his position in the kitchen, listened to the noise with a relieved smile. His mate was on the way to being less stressed and, he hoped, that what he had planned after their talk would remove it completely.

~~~OIgetyourmindsoutofthegutter.I'mtalkingtoyouKitty,Iknowyou~~~

Draco uncovered his eyes when he felt a hand run through his hair and looked into the amused eyes of Sirius gazing down at him. He groaned and recovered his eyes with his arm as he slumped further into the chair he had collapsed into once Hermione and Blaise retrieved the tiny she-demons for their planned afternoon.

"They wear you out that much did they?" Sirius joked as he attempted to pull the teen to his feet.

"No," Draco mumbled. "They gave me a headache. Laynee's magic decided that dropping a two pound bag of gobstones on my head would be amusing. Thankfully, it was transfigured from something situated just over my head so it wasn't as bad as it could have been if she had sent it flying at my head from across the room."

Sirius whistled softly as he finally noticed the bump on the top of the blonde's head.

"What were you doing to get her accidental magic to act up like that?" he asked, impressed despite himself.

"He was chasing her and Carla around the room while I prepared drinks for us," Harry answered for his mate, earning him a smile from the slightly older teen. "They started singing that kid's staple song whenever they think one person likes another."

Sirius nodded his head, trying to keep his amusement to himself and failing, if the glare Draco was sending him was any indication. He quickly left the room only for his laughter to float back to the pained teen.

Draco groaned and attempted to roll over. Harry laughed softly and placed a gentle hand beside the injured spot, allowing his magic to seep into the area. After several moments, Draco relaxed as the injury was healed.

"Did you want lunch now?" Harry asked. "Sirius has to eat in the Hall because the Headmaster wants to talk to him, Severus is making a few potions for the hospital wing and Remi has a detention to oversee so it will be just us."

"Lunch sounds fantastic," Draco admitted with a small smile as his stomach growled at him. "It feels like forever since I last ate."

"And after, we will talk," Harry stated in a no-nonsense tone.

Draco sighed and nodded, knowing that tone from Willa when the girls misbehaved … or he and Blaise spoilt them far too much in one day.

~~~Andmummakittyreappears~~~

Draco pulled the letters he had received that morning from his pocket with a grimace. He and Harry had shared a lovely meal of chicken cooked in ground almonds, boiled baby potatoes and a delightfully crisp salad, but now he and Harry had moved into the loungeroom and he was going to have to talk to his mate about what was troubling him.

Don't get him wrong; He wanted to tell Harry about what was bothering him but a part of him was resisting in a bid to not stress the younger male out. He sighed in resignation as the familiar – and welcome – heat of his younger mate settled next to him.

"Most of the letters were nothing to worry about," Draco stated, "Mostly they were from Gringotts concerning my private account and investments I have connect to it or concerning the progress of the house. There are three letters that are cause for concern, however."

By this time, Harry had place his head in Draco's lap and was purring softly as the blonde absent-mindedly rubbed his ears.

"The least troubling is from Tom telling me about my next trial."

Both boys grimaced in distaste; Draco from how much it hurt his mate to be going through the shit that was going on and Harry from what Draco has already had to deal with due to Tom's stupidity in the last two weeks.

"Can you discuss it with me?" Harry asked after a few moments silence from Draco.

"I have to prepare and cook one meal a week for you and I and at the end of the month I have to prepare and cook a three course meal for the entire family. I am not allowed to receive help with anything either."

"Is it no help from me or no help from anyone?" Harry asked.

Draco blinked at the question and looked down at the open letter, reading it again slowly.

"I can't ask you or Hermione," he responded after taking the time to read the letter properly, "at least not to help with the main part. I can ask anyone else for what things mean and to demonstrate before the assigned day but I have to be the one who cooks it."

"Then there is always Remus and Sirius for you to ask," Harry said with a smile. "While Siri is a menace when it comes to cooking, he is good at prepping the ingredients and Remi is a good cook since he's cooked for himself from a young age."

"And you have me as well Draco."

Both boys jumped at the dark, velveteen voice of the potions master. He chuckled softly as Harry hissed at him in annoyance.

"Cooking isn't much different than making potions. The techniques are the same after all, the only real difference is that you need to taste one to get the right feel for it and the other is sensed with magic."

"There's a bit more of a difference between them than that," Harry said with a scowl.

Severus chuckled again, privately cooing at the adorable sight. He was also relieved Harry's scowl was more to do with annoyance rather than anger.

"What are you here for Sev?" Draco asked, feeling annoyed that his time with Harry was being interrupted, even if they were talking about things that were stressing him out.

"I was checking up on you," Severus stated without hesitation, "You have been acting stressed since reading the letters this morning and I heard from the Mutt that you got on the wrong side of some accidental magic as well, but I see everything is under control."

"It is," Draco stated, "Can I get back to having Harry time now?"

Severus snorted in amusement at the slight whining tone to Draco's voice.

"What if I want to stay and visit?" he teased gently.

The glare Draco sent him could have peeled paint from a car with how acidic it was.

"I think after dinner would be a better time to visit," Harry stated with amusement.

"I think so as well," Severus agreed, clearing his throat nervously, "I will see you then."

Harry giggled softly as the door shut firmly behind the retreating man. He let out a surprised yelp when Draco grabbed him and pulled him onto his lap, inhaling deeply after he buried his face in the younger teen's neck. He giggled softly when the blonde gently lapped at his skin and squeaked when he felt the familiar sensation of fangs sliding into his flesh. When Draco didn't follow through with taking a few sips of blood, Harry began purring to calm him.

It hadn't taken long for the demon to realise that all it took to calm his mate when just his presence wasn't enough was to allow the vampire to hold him in his arms while his fangs were imbedded in his flesh. Harry smiled and purred harder in happiness, knowing that the best way to get Draco to calm down was the exact same act that calmed him when it all became too much for him to handle.

~~~UrghwhendidIbecomesosappy?~~~

It took an additional ten minutes for Draco to be soothed enough to allow Harry out of his grasp. When he did finally let him go, Draco gave Harry a sheepish smile.

"I apologise," he murmured, "my instincts are screaming for me to protect you from any male of dominant female that can take you from me. I know, logically, that no one allowed in these rooms will take you from me, but with this new challenge …"

Draco shook his head in annoyance at himself.

I have a feeling that I will be touchy about you being around anyone who can cook or is moderately good at potions this month," he said, voice just short of begging for forgiveness.

"Then I will be sure to watch my behaviour around anyone you see as a threat," Harry assured him. "I just hope you won't react unfavourably to Rinie and Remi."

He nuzzled into Draco's side and yawned.

"What were the other two letters you were worried about?" he asked.

"One of them was a summons to the next Meeting of the Clans with a note of warning from Father," Draco supplied as he ran his fingers through Harry's hair. "It appears that one of the newer clans are seeing how far they can push the laws before they explode in their faces."

"What laws are they testing?" Harry asked, guiding Draco's head to his lap, where he could play with the soft hair.

"The laws concerning mates," Draco stated. "they are demanding to meet you, stating that two months is more than enough time to bind you to the family. The law is that no one outside the vampire whose mat it is and their immediate family who are of vampire decent are to interact with or see the mate in question until a month after the bonding. This is because vampires are very territorial by nature and this triples until a month after they bond their mate … or until their mate is carrying the next generation."

Draco chuckled darkly.

"In case of the second, some vampires become more dangerous: I know I will be more aggressive towards anyone I see as a threat when you are with kitten. This is adding to my stress due to the knowledge I may have to kill someone by the end of the month since the meeting is set for the day before the date Tom set for the three-course meal. If things go wrong at the meeting, I won't be able to finish the task. Not to mention that the Council that Father is a member of may be angered at the fact I bound you to me without thinking via the old ways and will be looking for any excuse to attempt to break it."

Harry's heart leapt in fear at Draco's words and Draco pulled him tight to his chest, having sat up as soon as it happened.

"They may try but they WILL fail, Beloved," Draco stated with complete conviction, "Father has said we have the strongest bond he has ever witnessed – stronger than the one he and Mother share. The Council tried to break their bond when it became evident Mother had no interest in Vampiric Politics and they failed dismally."

Hearing that, Harry tried to calm himself. After several minutes, he once again felt Draco's fangs slide into the flesh at the base of his neck and relaxed as the feelings of belonging and safety washed over him. It took Harry a fair while to realise that Draco had separated from him.

"The third letter?" he asked as he flushed in embarrassment at the heated look Draco was giving him.

Draco shook his head to clear it of the influence the mock-heat he could taste in his mate's blood had left behind.

"I had best refrain from feeding from you for a while," Draco stated, voice a little huskier than normal, "And from tonight we shouldn't be left alone together without at least one chaperone."

Harry tilted his head to the side questioning and Draco shivered.

"It seems the mock-heats will be hitting bi-monthly," Draco stated, "I can taste the hormones in your blood. They are … Tantalizing."

Harry barely contained the shiver of delight that trailed down his spine at the deep, dark purr that was the last word that left Draco's mouth. Spurred on by Harry's reaction, Draco stood, pulling Harry with him. In one move he had Harry's back to his chest and his arms locking the younger male in place. He playfully nipped at his mate's neck.

"The last letter," Draco stated, his mouth very close to Harry's ear, "Is more of an annoyance than anything else. It seems that Miss Ginevra Weasley and her mother are rather annoyed at you and have done the cowards thing in issuing a challenge through the human-ran Ministry rather than the Creature-ran Council with you as the prize unless I can come up with a way to discredit their claim that I stole you from them."

To Draco's bemusement, Harry started to giggle at that.

"And just what is so funny, my mate?"

"They just gave us the perfect opportunity Draco," Harry stated giddily. "Shadow-Cat demons never lie. We physically cannot tell an untruth, much like someone cannot tell a lie around a Griffin. This had led to my species being highly sort after for working in the courts because not only can we detect lies, but we can see the secrets hidden in a soul."

"And since you can't lie, those secrets are revealed as truth," Draco said with a slow smile forming on his lips.

"The fact I marked her helps us as well," Harry stated, "The first thing to do is make a copy of the challenge issued and send it with a letter to the council explaining what is happening. Tell them we are courting, are under a bonding contract and are participating in this Hellish thing thanks to Tom – ensuring you enforce that it is a SOLO effort – and the fact I marked her after she tried to force me to go with her when she followed her submissive father to a submissive class."

"What will that do?"

Harry smirked, eyes full of mischief.

"It means they will not allow the challenge to proceed without first going into the past of my interaction with you and her – from the time we first met to the time that is present. The only thing that I can see as bad is that they may try to separate us until they finish the investigation."

"They won't be able to," Draco stated. "I will tell them that we are partially bonded via an ancient vampire bond so we need to see each other and that it is alright for your protection detail to be present – even recommended on being there."

Harry nodded and leaned his head back until it was resting on Draco's shoulder, jolting slightly when Draco pressed a barely-there kiss to his left ear and whispered:

"Dance with me?"

"I thought you would never ask," Harry whispered back.

Draco's arms moved until Harry could turn before holding the younger male loosely to his chest once more, swaying gently to music only he could hear.

~~~Ohgodsthesweetnessburns~~~

If Remus had been surprised by being asked a favour by Draco, he sure didn't look it and to his benefit, if the request amused him, he kept the urge to laugh and tease to himself.

"Let me get this straight," Remus stated when Draco had finished his explanation. "You would like for me to give you pointers on how to cook something and go through a few practice runs with a few dishes all for this month's assigned challenge from Tom."

"Yes," Draco stated with all honesty.

"You can't ask Harry or Hermione, I get that, but why me?"

"Because you are the ONLY person I know who can cook or make a decent potion and be able to feel comfortable thinking about you, cooking and Harry in the same sentence," Draco admitted. "At first I thought of asking Sev, but as soon as I did, I started growling deep in my chest and if it wasn't for Harry being in my lap at the time, I would have leapt for him as soon as I had visual confirmation of him being near Harry."

Remus blinked. He definitely wasn't expecting that.

"Your inner beast sees Severus Snape – Your godfather – as a threat, but not me?"

"You already have a bond to Harry: He is your Cub. You aren't a threat to my claim on him, but as Sev is a Potions Master and can cook … he is: even if logically I know he isn't, my instincts are telling me to attack every time I see him in the same area as Harry."

Draco grimaced.

"And on that note, I would also like to ask for a chaperone for Harry at all times for a while. He is starting another mock-heat cycle and it is beyond tempting. Double so since I can taste it in his blood."

"I'm sure that between Hermione and myself we will be able to work out a Chaperone system. Is there anyone we should avoid outside Severus?"

"Sirius," Draco responded without a hint of hesitation. "I do not see him as a threat, but mainly because my inner beast sees him as a fledgling and I don't feel comfortable leaving a fledgling in charge of my mate's wellbeing."

Remus coughed to hide his amusement.

"I will be happy to give you a few pointers on how to cook Draco, and to be your guinea pig. I would like to know what else you have on this month outside normal school activities."

"Harry and I need to visit the construction site, I have to go through my personal portfolio and attend a meeting of the Clans to deal with some newbies who believe they are above our laws. I also have to contact the Council in order to deal with one Ginevra Weasley who has dared to challenge my claim on Harry through a HUMAN court and claiming I stole Harry from her and whoever wins gets him."

"SHE WHAT?" Remus roared, spitting out the water he had just inhaled into his lungs by accident.

"You heard me," Draco said with a smirk, "But don't worry about that mess: Harry and I have it under control. Seems the mess Tom dropped onto our heads is good for something."

Remus' eyes flicked up to meet Draco's in confusion at his extremely dry tone.

"The fact that Harry and I are involved in this 'Declaration' and it is a solo event that went into effect before Miss Weasley even knew he existed will work in our favour. As well, the bonding contract we created, signed and got witnessed via the way of magic. There is no way that the farce of a contest she and her annoyance of a mother demanded will happen."

"You've contacted the Council, haven't you?" Remus stated with a grin.

"Letter with a copy of the summons before the courts attached. That will be one hit against them since I very much doubt that the bitch stated that the submissive in question was of creature blood."

Remus nodded and pushed the knowledge he had just learnt to the back of his mind to share with Sirius after everyone had gone to bed. Once the two soon-to-be-bonded had their fun with the two females of the red-headed family, he and Sirius would take the opportunity to visit them. Mooney had never liked the family – with a few exceptions – anyway.