Chapter Twenty-Two: Unconditional

It did not take long for Severus to inform his mate of what he had just been told, and immediately Harry suggested a new addition to his wards to keep those wanting to spill any valuable secrets they learned-- inside the castle until they could be questioned on their intentions. Or perhaps a spin on that type of ward, laced with a spell that would stop non coven members from spilling sensitive information to other outsiders? He had seen it done on many homes below ground, and had personally helped in creating one over his own home.

When the elder men expressed his interest in learning just what this ward entailed, Harry sat on the arm of his mate's chair and wrote out the runes and chant needed to complete the new protections around the castle. He told the men about how many people were needed to complete it, and that it was from a time later than their own, so it would be unwise to let others know of these wards.

"What do you mean by 'a time far beyond our own'?" Kingsley spoke, apparently out of the loop with the gossip and information within the coven.

"Oh!" Harry sighed in exasperation, though Severus took up the task of explaining his mate's death to the man, who grew more befuddled by the second. Harry thought the man just could not follow the story of his life and death like everyone else, until he was blown away by a simple statement.

"There was no official documentation of death for you, and I doubt there will be by the time I am able to double check. You were simply filed away as a missing persons as far as I knew. Your estate and immediate belongings were passed down to your next of kin and magical guardian, though your Gringotts key seemed to have been lost. No one has gotten in, though there were a few dozen attempts."

"What?!" Harry exclaimed in disbelief. Sure he was glad that no one was able to steal most of what was rightfully his, as his Gringotts key was left on his body and sits within his desk in his room unused. However to know that his belongings were simply passed on to the next of kin without him even being confirmed as deceased really pushed his buttons! "Who was in charge of those things back then? I would like to have words with them, as soon as humanly possible!"

He knew that there was a definite way to regain ownership of his estate and belongings so long as no one went off and informed someone of his death and consequent resurrection. This meant that they absolutely had to move fast, reinforcing the wards, and having Harry contact Gringotts, the ministry, and anyone else who may have had a hand in his belongings being ill distributed. Because no one knew if he was dead-- or alive and simply in hiding-- no one could claim ownership of his belongings. Lucius did not want to be implicated not his almost fiance's death, nor did he even care about what he thought to be a paltry sum of money left in the Potter vaults. He also didn't hold any claim to it as they were never married.

If he had tried, it would be rejected, and he would have been investigated for any signs of foul play. Harry's family could not gain access, not without his express permission, evidence of his death, or his vault keys. His magical guardian wouldn't have been able to do so either, even if they had asked for a replacement key, since the boy had been able to emancipate himself, at least in the magical word. So the only thing that could be used was his property and the immediate belongings within his manor by his 'family'. It should still be under his name, unless the Dursley's redirected who owned it and consequentially who paid for the upkeep. At least this is the most optimistic, positive outcome.

Severus understood the choppy thoughts being projected by his skittish mate, and decided to get things set in motion. "Thank you Kingsley. How long will you be available in the castle?" He asked taking out a quill and parchment, jotting down little notes and reminders for himself and his green eyed beauty. The man across from Severus answered, "I will be at your disposal for the next three days. After that I will be expected back at the ministry with your- hopefully- acceptance to the ball."

This would have to be enough time to get the proper people, runes, and enchantments in place to secure the new wards. Now they needed to find trustworthy coven members to perform these tasks with them. People who were both honest and loyal, who would keep these things to themselves without the need for an unbreakable vow of any kind.

Nodding almost imperceptibly at the other man, the vampire stood, shook Shacklebolt's hand, then escorted him to the door. Harry bowed his head a bit in respect for the blaan, and watched until Severus blocked his view while the other man took his leave.

"Severus??" Harry asked into the silence of the room once the third man was long gone. "Do you know anything about my estate or vaults?" He asked curiously. He didn't want it to seem as if he thought his mate were one of those to cover his belongings, but he really did have a lot he wanted to know.

Looking over at Harry, who was still standing behind his desk just four feet away, Severus almost felt betrayed and a flash of anger crossed his heart before he realized what his little one truly meant. He felt wrong to have assumed the undead boy would implicate him for a crime he'd never commited. As it stood, he took a breath and let his face relax, the wrinkles on his forehead smoothing out as he went back to his seat, pulling Harry into his lap like before. "At the moment, I do not know... but we will figure his out." the black haired man said, rubbing soothing circles into his small mate's back. He sounded so confident and sure of himself that Harry couldn't help but relax a bit and let his worry go for the moment.

They would worry about it all later, but for now the eternal boy was ready to either sleep, or finally do something productive with his time. He trusted Severus to look out for him, to hold his best interests at heart, and he wanted the man to know this as well. So he began to entertain the idea of maybe letting his lioness out for a play with her mate... It likely wouldn't happen today, but they still had time to get Harry used to her, and for the both of them to get used to Severus and his lion counterpart. Taking a deep calming breath, the boy loosened his tight hold over his animagus just a bit.

Only going so far as to give her some more space to regroup herself, he knew that she'd have a field day when she finally came out. Harry didn't want to feel like he was incomplete any longer, and as he still didn't know much about animagus forms beyond how to become one, he believed his mate. The man had never lied to him-- at least as far as he knew-- and he wanted to believe that his lioness wouldn't hold it against him.

On the opposite side of the thought tracks stood Severus, with much more on his mind than he let on. Harry and his lioness should not be feeling like separate entities, the new wards would have to go up fairly quickly and he'd have to place restrictions on who came and went in the mean time. His little mate was overwhelmed, and the Weasleys needed backing, financially and publically in order for the ginger boy to keep his right to court the Granger heiress.

He needed to figure out Lucius' intentions and connections, to one, help solve his mate's murder-- and two, help protect the young woman he was platonically fond of. The two of them had social gatherings and announcements to plan together, as well as to follow up on any and every lead into Harry's death, and the vast network of vicious crimes that lay beneath it. He had a feeling that Harry was neither the first nor last to be in such a situation; and that the boy may have gotten off lighter than many others could hope for.

Downplaying his little ones pain was not his intention, but it stood to reason that a quick death was the better option to what others may have been subjected to. Perhaps they should look into these things before dinner, as they still had three hours left to simply be.

Harry was already dozing from his comfortable spot on the mans lap, feeling the others hand still rubbing his back and holding him close, it felt like heaven and he almost wondered what it would be like if he were still alive and had met the man under less impossible terms. Softly pushing those thoughts aside, he pulled himself away from the elder wizard for a moment and decided to be a bit daring. Placing his right hand on the man's left cheek, Harry moved in to steal a chaste kiss that stole both of their breath.

It was as if a small explosion had come between them, sparks shooting though their systems and warmth budding in their chests. Severus was a bit caught off guard at this, though when he saw his mate's jadite eyes shimmering with determination, he had to clench his jaw to keep himself from stealing more. The affection in the kiss was amazing in and of itself but the boys confidence in that moment was enough to make the man want to ravish Harry.

Even after the kiss, neither man pulled away, lips brushing together as Severus spoke. His voice was a couple octaves lower, almost a deep purr as he looked into Harry's hooded eyes. "You tempt me so affectively Harry... I fear I will never tire of you."

"I fear that you will want to tire of me..." Harry countered, hand falling from Severus' cheek down to his shoulder. He had reason to understand his mate wouldn't get tired of him, but it was still a fear of his; one he felt even when around Moony, Padfoot, and his parents.

Severus realized his miscalculation and chuckled a bit in the silence between them. "The day I tire of you will likely be my last in existence. This bond I feel between us begs for nothing less, and I will give all I can to sate it... and you." he closed his eyes and gave into the urge to rest his forehead against Harry's, the tentative bond been them humming in it's acceptance of the affection between the two wizards.

But the magic between the two was broken when Severus moved away, placating his little mate, who mewled at the loss of contact with a chaste kiss of his own. "I must inform my men that we will be meeting before dinner to discuss the castles security. I would feel safe in meeting with them if you were to remain here or within my bed chambers until I return."

Harry understood why he would not be let in on the meeting, as he was not mated to the man sitting beneath him, but he did give the elder a look that said 'Keep me informed.' with a slight raise of his eyebrows. This was answered with a raised eyebrow and a smirk, and the boy knew-- or at least thought he knew-- that the man had already planned to do so. The two moved out of the others arms and stood to straighten themselves, Severus conjuring a mirror for the two to fix anything that stood out of place.

A moment later and Harry was being led over to his mate's bed chambers, where two guards decided to intercept them. It made Harry blush and giggle a bit before he cleared the air for his mate who seemed to have forgotten what day and age they lived in. 'I thought I was the one lost in death and time...' he thought to himself.

"My apologies, Severus is not entering with me, nor will we be in this room together for any length of time just yet. I am to remain here, where you can watch over me as well as you have been so far, while Severus handles some business. I thank you for your diligence and time." He bowed a bit, before Severus walked him to the door with a hand on the small of the boys back.

Proud of how his mate handled the guards, and set their minds at ease, the man wanted nothing more than to steal another kiss from his enticing mate, but knew it would shattered Harry's promise to the guards if he were to do it then and there. It seemed as though he would have to back track on showing his affection publically. At least until they were mated and married.

Leaving his mate's side was a bit of a challenge as they had been within each other's immediate area for the last few hours. Harry knew he would see the man once again in less than an hour, though he had no idea how to spend his time.

That was until he was left in the mans room with the musk of his mate surrounding him. The man naturally smelled of cinnamon and a bit of a forest scent, but this had his mind clouding up as soon as the door was closed. He still had his wits about him and wandlessly locked to door in order to feel a bit safer as he decended into the madness of a scent overload. He used the mans bathroom and took a shower, using his mate's shampoo and soap.

If he were clear headed he would have known that he had taken over twenty minutes under the water, just basking in his mate's pheromones. Once he felt clean he cast a drying charm over himself, styling his hair into a braid before walking out of the room in only his underclothes.

Calling out for the house elf Jesper, Harry asked that he be brought a bit of fruit to tide his stomach over while he waited. After the little elf was gone, Harry put his clothing away with Severus' own, and smiled at the thought of being able to do so more often in future.

Crashing gracelessly onto the bed, the boy rolled around in order to bathe in the vampires natural musk. He wanted to smell like the man, while also leaving his own scent all around the room, and what better way than to touch and lay in the mans large four poster bed. Being here didn't cause a heat to set in, but it did intoxicate him a bit and he purred rather loudly in his content.

Outside the room, the guards eyes widened at the sound, and they shuffled around a bit trying to unhear it. While the boy was fairly attractive, they neither wanted him, nor did they want their mates to kill them. Not to mention that their king would have their heads if they did, for some reason, try anything.

By now it's been fourty-five minutes and the reanimated boy was feeling a bit restless. He had never had to deal with anything of this caliber and not knowing how long his mate would take to settle any of what they had learned since meeting, only added to the feeling. He wanted to see his mate for a moment, but steeled his determination to not get in the mans way unnecessarily. It took a moment before he felt he was fully drenched in Severus' scent, and he searched for his clothes, before a wicked idea caught his attention.

Stripping out of his underclothes, the short boy took some of his mate's underclothes and put them on, shrinking them a bit to fit him better. He then took one of the mans shirts and put it on as well, the high collar starched and stiff. He placed his own clothes on after this and smiled in fake innocence at his reflection.

He could tempt the man a bit right? It would only make the wait harder for them both, but when they finally came together to consummate their binding it would only be that much sweeter. Severus would notice right away that the boy was wearing his clothes, because he had the under clothes and shirt from earlier set up on the man's bed, which Jesper would bring to Harry's room only after the other man got a good look at it.

That is, by the way, how it went down one Severus returned. Harry had felt the mans magic nearing, and was just finishing his hair when the door unlocked and opened. Severus stayed on the opposite side of the door, though his nose caught their intermingling scents immediately. It was heavenly to him, and once he saw the boy standing in front of him, and the others clothing on his bed, he felt a predatory growl rising up in his chest.

The boy was a minx, a seductively innocent minx. Though when he caught sight of the house elf grabbing the clothes and the devious little twinkle in Harry's eyes, Severus had to recant the thought of innocence in relation to Harry at that moment. His little mate knew what he was doing and it turned Severus on a bit more when the spectacle clad boy smiled and brushed past him. "Where to next Severus??" He asked, voice the ideal sound of innocence, and the elder man had to bite back a groan.

The boy would be the death of him, and oh how sweet it would be...

Time passed fairly slow from there, the wards were introduced into the castles defences almost seamlessly over the second day of Harry's stay. He got to see just how fast and efficient his dominant mate's coven was, and found a place for himself in their dynamic. He stayed above ground for two days after that, conversing with Severus about his estates, money, and what to do with what he was told, as Gringotts had given him his statements, and informed him that his belongings had been transferred back into his name. anything that was aquired with his muggle currency was automatically placed in his growing vault, and he took his time to make sure all of his assets were in place.

The ministry was contacted about how they handled his disappearance, and he was told that they did what they could and that was it. This was displeasing to both Harry, and Severus on the others behalf. They decided to attend the ministry ball, the third for Harry, and sixth for Severus, if only to show that Harry was 'alive' and Severus was taken.

A cover story was created, in which Harry decided to go off to America and continue his studies there, starting anew in a new country and had only just made his way back that year after hearing about what happened to his estate. He was only planning a visit, but once he met Severus, the boy knew he had to stay. Hermione and Molly helped to back him up, Molly bringing out old letters she had written but never sent, and the Granger heiress helping to fill in any small details Harry may have missed.

The three bonded over this, as it was usually them handling the back story while Severus took the Weasley kids and trained them more thoroughly in how a Lord or Lady should conduct themselves, as well as teaching all of the children a bit more in magical and muggle self defense. He also had time with Ronald to gauge what the boy had done so far in accordance with his courting of Hermione, and coached him on how to continue in a public setting. He gave the boy a letter of endorsement on the second day of Harry's stay, and Harry agreed to write up his own as he and Severus were still two separate names at the moment, and two letters from two influencial names was much better than one joint letter from them both.

On the third day of his stay at Prince manor, Harry was feeling a bit homesick, and he knew a break would not go amiss. He wanted to see his family, and figure out how to contact Narcissa and Draco Malfoy, as well as meet with the elders in order to inform them of his mate and impending nuptials. Knowing that the boy needed a break, Severus decided to see the boy off from the gardens.

Along with the Weasleys and a few guards after Harry expressed that he did not mind them seeing how he travelled so long as the wards were still in place, which severus checked just before their fairwell. With the wards still intact, the group made their way to the gardens. Harry had Severus' gifts-- mostly clothing and jewelry, along with customized stationary for their correspondences-- tucked neatly away in his hand bag, as he wore a gown that day and had no pockets. The gown was made up of a series of sheer layers of pale blue fabric and it seemed as if it were barely enough layers to hide his legs from view.

It was a tempting sight, and Severus could hardly let his mate leave. He had gotten used to Harriette's constant presence and the chime of her laughter in secluded hallways, though it was less common when she was around others. He was accustomed to her quiet teasing, and confident authority over others. Frankly he wanted nothing more than for her to remain by his side.

But if he didn't let Harry go for now, he may very well leave forever.