Disclaimer: I don't own Harry Potter.

Feathers and Fireballs

Chapter Thirty-Six

When Harry finally got his response from Christelle, it was in the form of Regulus, frowning at him. "You asked Christelle to come back?" he asked. His brow was furrowed in concern. "You're that concerned about the bond?"

Harry swallowed and looked down at his feet. "It isn't just the… the bond that doesn't exist with Voldemort. It's not just that at all. It's also because I need to talk to her about the shields, and the fact that Severus is the one that maintains them, and…" He swallowed again. And he wanted to ask her why he kept bonding with people, even though he suspected that she wouldn't have an answer for him.

Regulus sighed. "Those are good reasons," he said. "And I don't mind her being here, I just wish that you'd given me a bit of a warning." He tugged Harry into his arms and held him loosely.

Harry leaned into him. "But you do have a warning," he said, not really protesting or anything. "She hasn't even written back to confirm that she's coming."

"Harry, you asked her for her to meet you with no explanation," Regulus said gently. "She's already here. She came as soon as she received your letter, and didn't want to waste time by sending an owl in response."

Harry looked up at Regulus, confused. "Why would she rush like that?" he asked. That didn't make sense. What he had to ask her wasn't exactly urgent, so he wasn't sure…

"Because, although you haven't met many members of the Veela Court, you are incredibly important to them," Severus said. He took Harry's hand and squeezed it. "Male Veela always are. She likely fears that you are being mistreated in some way, thus her rush to get here and find out what you wanted or needed."

Harry blinked. "I didn't mean to worry her," he muttered. He didn't like Christelle, but he would never put any undue stress on her. Guilt welled within him and he shrunk in on himself. "I'll have to apologize when I meet with her."

There was a moment of silence, and Harry just knew that Regulus and Severus were communicating over his head. They did that, sometimes. He ignored them, though, and waited a minute before pulling away. "Where are we meeting with her?" he asked. He wouldn't keep Christelle waiting any longer than he already had, not if there was a chance that he'd interrupted something important.

"She thought that you might feel more secure meeting with her in our sitting room," Regulus said carefully. He didn't let go of Harry, and seemed like he was bracing for a bad reaction from him.

But Harry… thought that it might work. Maybe if he was in his own space, he wouldn't feel so inclined to be snippy with her. Their past meetings hadn't exactly gone well, after all. "Yeah," he said with a small sigh. That might work.

He settled on the couch, in the center, and waited for his two mates to join him. Severus did first, and wrapped an arm around his shoulders. Harry immediately leaned into him and relaxed. Regulus went to the door, opened it, and invited Christelle in. Once he'd ushered her into a seat, he settled on Harry's other side and drew his hand into his lap.

Christelle smiled briefly at the sight, then sobered almost immediately. She leaned forward in her seat and met Harry's eyes. "You asked me to come and speak with you in person," she said. "I am here, and I am willing to listen to whatever it is that you have to say. Know that if you are being mistreated in some way, the Veela Court will not tolerate that behavior, no matter who it comes from."

Harry swallowed. "That's not why I asked you to come," he said, his voice shaking a little. He had to clear his throat; the guilt almost overwhelming. "I didn't know that sending my letter with so little information would be so alarming, or I would have made sure to tell you that everything was fine and I just had some questions, and some information."

Christelle sagged in her seat, the tension draining from her almost immediately. "I cannot say how relieved I am to hear you say that," she breathed. "While we would fight for you, Harry, I must admit that I had no idea how we were going to fight the Dark Lord."

Harry let out a helpless, surprised little laugh. "Sorry," he said. "I didn't mean to worry anybody, and I hope that I didn't pull you from something more important."

Christelle's smile was soft and almost reassuring. "You didn't pull me from anything important, no. And I would rather misunderstand and be here when you don't need me than not be here when I am needed."

Harry blinked and looked down at the carpet. "Thanks," he muttered, a little awkward. He wasn't used to someone who wasn't connected to him in any way caring about his wellbeing. It was a strange sensation, but Harry thought he might like it.

"So," Christelle said, and now her voice sounded calmer, more cheerful. "You have called me here, and I have come, and though my haste was perhaps unwarranted, you have things you need to speak with me about, and I would gladly hear them."

Harry drew in a deep breath and let it out slowly. "Yeah," he muttered. He sat up straight and forced himself to meet Christelle's gaze. "The thing is, we figured out how my allure is being contained, and I remember you saying that it was a thing that most male Veela have a problem with, so I thought you might like to know how we're doing it."

Christelle's eyes widened ever so slightly. "Yes," she breathed. Then she cleared her throat. "Such knowledge would be… of immeasurable benefit to the Veela Court, and we would be grateful beyond your imagination if you could provide us with that information." She looked away, then met Harry's eyes once more. "We are prepared to provide you with—"

Harry shook his head and waved off her words. "I don't want anything for the information," he said quickly. He didn't want to use this for leverage, didn't want to hold it over anyone's heads. "Severus is the one maintaining my shields, since he's a Master Occlumens. I don't know if it's because he's my mate, or if he would be able to do it for any Veela, but that's how it's happening."

Christelle's face, which had begun to brighten, fell. "But that means that it probably isn't replicable," she said, looking despondent.

"There might be ways," Severus said, speaking up for the first time. "You could find someone to train some of your people in Occlumency, both mates of male Veela and others, and see if the shields I use on Harry can be replicated."

"Proper training in Occlumency takes years, Severus," Christelle responded with a tone that could only be described as chastising. "Where in the world are we going to find a Master of Occlumency willing to work exclusively with the Veela Court for such a lengthy time?" Her eyes narrowed, and she smiled, the expression sly. "Unless, of course, you're volunteering."

"I'm not," Severus said immediately. He pulled Harry ever so slightly closer.

"Harry's already expressed a disinterest in visiting with the Veela Court," Regulus said. When Harry glanced at him, he found that Regulus' frown was severe and left no room for argument. "And it would be cruel to ask Severus to leave his side for the length of time such training would take."

Harry nodded, and then frowned. "Wait," he said, and looked at Severus. "If Occlumency training takes years, then how do we know that I can't do this on my own?"

Severus stroked Harry's hair back from his forehead and pressed a soft kiss to it, before drawing back. "There is a chance you might still learn," he allowed, frowning. "But Harry, you should have been able to create a full basic shield by now. It's one of the first things that humans learn to do, and takes only a handful of months."

Harry sighed. "Okay," he said, a bit disappointed. It wasn't that he minded relying on Severus, it was just… he'd sort of hoped…

"I suppose that we can begin searching for an Occlumency instructor for some volunteers," Christelle said, drawing Harry's attention back to her. "Perhaps you have some recommendations for us, Severus?"

Severus raised an eyebrow. "I'll ask around with my contacts," he said noncommittally.

Christelle cleared her throat. "Thank you," she said. Then she turned her attention back to Harry. "And thank you for the information, even if it wasn't quite the information we'd hoped for."

Harry nodded. "I'm sorry I couldn't tell you something better," he said.

"Some information is better than none, even if it's not good news," Christelle said. She was silent for a moment. Then, quietly, she said, "But I don't think that's the only reason that I was brought here. This information, while sensitive, could be given in a letter. Was there something else you needed from me, Harry?"

Harry swallowed and looked down at his hands. Regulus still held one, but the other rested awkwardly in his lap. "I think I might…" He swallowed again. He couldn't force the words out. He drew in another deep breath, then said, "There seems to be a third bond forming in my core, and I… I don't know if it's another mating bond, or why it's forming, and I hoped…" He swallowed again and blinked back the tears that were forming rapidly. He didn't want to cry, and he wasn't sad. He was just… frustrated, that was all.

"I could take a look," Christelle said. Her voice was softer, gentler. "I am a fair hand at Legilimency, and if it's okay with you, Harry, I'd like to actually travel into your mind, into your core. I'd like to see if I can examine this possible third bond at the source."

Harry shivered. He didn't want Christelle in his mind, alone, and didn't know that he cared to go in with her. He trusted her not to lie to him, but he didn't know that he trusted her inside of his head. He looked to Severus, hopeful that his mate could come up with a solution.

Severus stared down at him, then pressed another soft kiss to his forehead. "I think that, while Harry is uncomfortable with that idea, it might be the best solution," he said softly.

Harry's eyes closed. He didn't like it, not at all, but if Severus thought it was a good idea…

"I will go in with you," Severus continued. "I'm sure that Harry would feel better that way."

"Yeah," Harry muttered. He still didn't like the idea, but… but he knew that he needed to know, for all that he was busy pretending that the third bond didn't exist. He might never do anything with the information, but he needed to know.

"That would work," Christelle said. She looked at Harry, then asked, "Would you like to come with us?"

Harry shook his head and curled closer to Severus. He didn't want to, and he was getting nervous about the entire endeavor. He knew that he needed to know, knew that it would be a good idea to do this, he just…

"Then let's get you comfortable," Severus suggested. He looked at Regulus, and Harry followed his gaze.

Regulus blinked at them both, but then shifted on the couch so that his back was to the arm and his leg was up on the couch. "Come lean on me, love," he suggested to Harry.

Harry immediately crawled to lean against him, and sighed when Regulus closed his arms around him. He wriggled a little bit before he was comfortable, and wound up on his side, his ear pressed over Regulus' beating heart.

"Okay, Harry, are you ready?" Severus asked. "I'm going to go first, and then Christelle will join me. I'll make certain that she does nothing other than look at the things that need examining, okay?"

Harry hated the idea of Christelle in his mind, but he nodded anyway. "Yeah," he said again. He forced himself to keep his eyes open and meet Severus' eyes.

Severus cast first, and then Christelle joined him. Severus' mind felt familiar against his own, while Christelle's was foreign, and sharp. Harry didn't like the feel of her in his head, but forced himself to tolerate it. This was a good thing, no matter how little he liked it. She would find out once and for all whether or not the third strand was really a bond.

It seemed like it took forever, and Regulus did his best to distract Harry with soft words and soothing touches. Harry let himself be soothed, but it didn't work as well as Regulus probably would have liked. In the end, he wound up hiding his face in Regulus' shirt and closing his eyes while Regulus ran gentle hands over his back in slow, rhythmic movements.

And then it was over, and Christelle and Severus emerged from his mind with small gasps. Severus immediately shifted off of the couch to sit in front of Harry, as though placing a barrier between himself and Christelle, and took Harry's hands in his own. His eyes were dark with concern, his lips tugged into a frown.

"You do have a third bond forming," Christelle said into the silence. "It does seem different in some way, and I admit that I've never seen one quite like it. But it is very definitely a mating bond. All the right markers are there, for all that it's quite strange."

Harry let out a shuddering sigh. Of course he had a mating bond forming with Voldemort. Why couldn't his life ever be easy? Whenever he thought it was looking up…

"And there's more," Severus said, slowly. "I confess that I thought about asking Christelle not to tell you this information, Harry, and you probably won't thank me for that impulse. My only intention would have been to protect you." Severus stroked his thumbs over Harry's hands and squeezed them tightly.

Harry swallowed. That didn't sound good, either. "Okay," he said, uncertainly. He didn't know that he wanted to hear whatever it was that Christelle had to say.

"I took a look at the place where all of your bonds come from," Christelle said softly. "In normal Veela, there's… a well, if you will, and the bond they form with their mate is like water being drawn from that well. Once that bond forms, the well is closed, and nothing can draw from it other than that bond. No other mate can be found. Are you following me?"

Harry didn't like where this was going. "I am," he said. He swallowed around the lump that was forming in his throat. This really didn't seem like it was going to be good news.

"Your well, Harry, never closed. It's still as open as it likely was when you had no mates at all, and that means that you can continue to form mating bonds. It might never close, or it might close after you solidify your third bond. We don't know, because we've never seen anything like this. It might have something to do with the nature of your transformation, but there's simply no way of knowing."

Harry's heart dropped. No way of knowing what was happening to him, how many mates he would have in the end, or who those mates would be. Assuming that the three he had weren't enough, that was to say. He swallowed, and thought that his expression had to be pretty grim, judging by the alarmed looks he was getting from Severus, Regulus, and Christelle.

She opened her mouth, but Harry cut her off with a wave of his hand. "Thank you for the information," he said quietly. "I think I'm going to go lie down, if that's okay?"

He didn't wait for an answer, but instead stood and retreated to the bedroom. He closed the door firmly behind him, locked it, and curled up in bed.

Only then did he let the tears that had been threatening since they'd emerged start to fall. And once they started, they didn't stop, and Harry couldn't bring himself to care.