Narcissa pulled her boys from the dining room after breakfast one day during the summer. The weather was poor, thunderstorms were buffeting Wiltshire, and they had been stuck inside for several days. To help stave off the accompanying boredom, she intended to take the day to discuss secondary genders with her children so they would know what to expect in the future. The information was also important for their political skills as they would need to know how to deal with all secondary genders in politics. Since they were both Heirs to Houses with seats on the Wizengamot, politics were in their future, and therefore the earlier they had this knowledge, the better they could use it.
They had gone to a rarely used parlour in an out of the way part of the manor. Lucius was going to his office at the Ministry and Severus had left on a potion ingredient gathering trip two days previously and would not return for several more days so they were ensured privacy. Narcissa was pleased with that turn of events as she knew Draco had a hard time relaxing his hold on etiquette when his father was present. She hoped the coming discussion would help allay some of his fears.
"Now boys," Narcissa began after they were seated with tea, "I know you are at least passing familiar with the topic of secondary genders. We've discussed several times now that Lucius is an alpha and Severus and I are betas. Today I want us to talk more frankly about secondary gender, what things to be looking for to help you identify your secondary gender quickly, and what to expect from each of the three secondary genders. You may ask whatever questions you have, and I will give you all the information I can."
The two boys nodded, a faint blush gracing both of their cheeks.
Narcissa noticed their embarrassment and continued, "I know you likely feel a bit uncomfortable about it, but think of it this way, I'm a beta, and your mother. I won't be offended if you ask a question or are "too" blunt for propriety the way an alpha or a stranger might. And, you are both particularly comfortable with me, so you should have no qualms speaking up if you don't understand something or want more details or explanations."
"Oh, can you imagine trying to have this conversation with your father," Harry said under his breath towards Draco.
"Ugh, or Uncle Sev?" Draco replied quietly.
Narcissa heard their mumbled asides and laughed lightly. "Exactly," she said, smiling at them gently.
The two giggled, knowing she heard them, and felt much better about the upcoming discussion.
"Now, you know the three secondary genders, that alphas and omegas prefer to be together, and that betas can be with any of the genders. But do you know who can present as what type or anything about the presentation itself?
Draco spoke, "Only men can present as alphas, but betas and omegas can be men or women."
"I think people begin presenting at age thirteen," Harry said.
"Those are both correct," Narcissa nodded. "At age thirteen, a child who is going to present as an alpha or omega will begin the presentation process, while betas undergo puberty. This is similar to muggle puberty, which often begins somewhere between the ages of twelve to fourteen. Betas may therefore know their secondary gender prior to age thirteen. An alpha or omega will not know their secondary gender for sure until some time after their thirteenth birthday, as their changes will begin to manifest, but may take up to six months to be noticeable.
"Mother, you said 'for sure.' Does that mean there are ways to guess your secondary gender early?" Draco questioned eagerly. He was anxious to know with more certainty what his secondary gender would be.
"Indeed there are," Narcissa replied. "As alphas can be loosely equated to male and omegas to female, things like body size, strength, and general appearance can be good predictors. A larger or physically stronger child may be broadcasting their body's preparation for presenting as an alpha while a smaller, more delicate child would be the opposite."
"Is there anything else that might indicate one or the other, Cissa?" Harry asked.
"Nothing will give a 100% accurate prediction of secondary gender, these are merely indicators. Do not think that presence or absence of these indicators will tell you for sure what you will be. For example, the larger, stronger child might have reached their full size by age thirteen and at presentation, could stop growing, therefore presenting as an omega. Other than physical indicators, there are some personality indicators. These tend to be slightly more accurate in determining secondary gender, but not by much. Alphas tend to want to be out and about, doing things, being active, showing off their strengths as it were. Omegas tend to want to be at home, with family, learning, or focusing more on personal projects and development. Betas can be across the entire spectrum and so personality is a poor indicator for betas."
The boys nodded.
"As for the presentation itself, " Narcissa began, "during the time between age thirteen and age sixteen, both alphas and betas will experience an increase in magical power throughout the period. Their magic may be uncooperative for a short time when the increase first begins, but it will smooth out and gradually increase. Usually the coursework at Hogwarts is difficult enough to keep the extra power in use or grounded, but if you were to notice your magic acting up, additional brief but intense practice sessions of about 15 minutes a few times a day will channel the excess. This power increase is typically at a faster rate and ends at a higher point for omegas than alphas, but we'll talk about typical power levels in a moment. Alphas will have several growth spurts, will develop larger and more defined muscles, and experience an increase in their physical strength. Omegas will either slow rapidly in their growth, or stop growing altogether. Their physical features will soften, often making females more conventionally attractive, and making males much more androgynous looking. An omega's hair will grow, sometimes dramatically, and their hips widen in preparation for childbearing. The clearest and easiest indicator for an omega is that most or all body hair will fall out. This can happen during puberty depending on hormone fluctuations, and due to several wizarding illnesses, so it is still not perfect."
"I don't think either of us have questions on presentation," Draco started, and Harry hummed in agreement, "it seems pretty straight forward, but I want to know more about those power levels you mentioned."
"Of course," Narcissa replied. "The power levels we're about to discuss apply to everyone, not just alphas or omegas. Power levels will be measured on each of your inheritance tests when you take them at Gringotts every year. This number may shift over time, but will settle on your overall power level sometime after your seventeenth birthday and final core maturation. Your magical core will be fully developed and will stop growing on your seventeenth birthday, but sometimes a witch or wizard isn't in full control immediately on their seventeenth birthday and so the final reading is usually recorded at the 18th birthday. Is that clear so far?"
The boys nodded their heads.
"Good," Narcissa nodded with a smile. "Muggles have no magical power. A muggle going through an inheritance test at Gringotts would show zero. This is common when a child comes in unknowing that their grandparents or great grandparents were squibs. Both parents can be tested, and so we have documented that muggles display zero for magical level. Squibs manifest between one and forty-nine in magical power. As squibs are a punishment from magic, they are cast out of their Family, typically to a village containing other squibs or squib descendants. Depending on how close the squib progeniture is to the family of the new magical child, they may or may not know they are a squib. Though squibs have magic, it is not enough to actively cast and with the prevalence of magic, even for things like shopkeepers and servers, they often leave the magical world entirely. Betas can manifest between fifty and one hundred ninety-nine. Power level is an atrocious measure for betas. The only time it's accurate is if the power level is between fifty and ninety-nine. Alpha power levels are between one hundred and two hundred. But omegas are one hundred fifty or more. Omegas are always more magically powerful than their alphas. Sometimes not by much, but they always are.
Draco's eyes had grown wide as soon as Narcissa had started explaining alphas and omegas. He was shocked with the new information.
"Omegas are really more magically powerful than alphas?!" Draco squeaked
"Indeed they are, my dragon," Narcissa responded indulgently, understanding her son's concerns.
"See, Draco, being an omega isn't a bad thing," Harry said, elbowing his brother.
Draco started giggling, and Harry couldn't stop himself from laughing with him. Narcissa let them for a few moments and then began speaking again.
"Which is not to say alphas aren't powerful, as they are, but they often place equal importance on magical and physical strength," Narcissa continued her explanation. "For example, Lucius is perfectly capable of manhandling the abraxans, or picking up both myself and Draco with little to no issue. But he is also very magically powerful. He presented with a power level of 190. The only alpha I know of with a higher power level was the Dark Lord, who presented at 199, however he neglected his physical strength to the point that he was reliant on magic, which is not the best position to be in, for any secondary gender."
"Why's that?" Harry asked.
"The Dark Lord was not terribly good at quick footwork, dodging, and things like that in a fight, and ignored what natural physical strength he had, deeming physical combat 'too muggle.' He could magically overpower anyone, but someone could get in a lucky shot or two, causing him difficulty," their mother continued. "Omegas, with their smaller size are usually more agile to begin with, while Alphas must train for agility along with their physical and magical strength. Any other questions?"
Both boys shook their heads and murmured no.
"Moving on then!" Narcissa continued. "Secondary gender pairings. Typically alphas do not pair well together, nor do omegas, and I have not seen such a couple of either type in my lifetime. If an alpha or omega is incapable of locating a suitable partner in their opposite gender, they may choose to form a bond with a beta having the closest personality type to their need. For example, Lucius and I were paired because I desired children eventually, and Lucius was an alpha in need of an heir. Alphas and omegas are extremely fertile when paired together, betas have average or normal fertility when paired, but alphas or omegas paired to a beta have a much more difficult time. I myself required numerous potions to even conceive, and then even more to help me through the pregnancy itself."
"Wait," Harry interjected. "Alphas can only be male, but omegas can be male or female, right?" Narcissa nodded. "So a male omega will likely wind up with a male alpha?" Narcissa nodded again. "But...but they're both men!" Harry paused, thinking about it for a moment, "You said alphas and omegas are very fertile when they are together, how can they be fertile when they're both men?" Harry was extremely confused.
"Ah, I understand your confusion," Narcissa began to explain. "Men are capable of carrying children as long as they are an omega. There's no issues with fertility or pregnancy for male omegas."
"Oh, muggle men can't have children together," Harry stated.
"Yes, well, they do not have magic to assist," she replied. "Nor, I believe, do muggles have secondary gender at all."
"No, I don't think so," Harry said slowly. "Or nobody ever talked about it around me if they did." He paused and then said wonderingly, "So if I presented as an omega, I could still have my own kids?"
"Yes," Narcissa confirmed.
"But only if the man is an omega?" Harry questioned. Narcissa nodded. "But what if two male betas wanted to be together? They can't have kids? That's not fair!" Harry was indignant.
"While a male beta cannot carry a child in pregnancy, there is a blood adoption ritual which can make a child a blood and magical child of the two men, or two women. Children can only be carried during pregnancy by omegas or female betas," Narcissa completed the explanation.
"So they can have children, they just have to get them using the blood adoption ritual," Draco confirmed.
"Yes," Narcissa replied.
"Well, it's better than nothing, I suppose," Harry muttered.
"Yes, it is," said Narcissa. "Blood adoption is helpful for many couples, beta same-sex pairs, as well as betas paired with alphas or omegas who have difficulty conceiving. We were lucky enough to have Severus to help; not everyone is so lucky to have a potions master for a friend. The course of treatment I was on was exorbitantly expensive. Any other questions about pairings?
"I don't think so," said Draco, looking at Harry for confirmation and the other boy shook his head.
"Very well then," Narcissa continued their discussion. "I know you two are studying courtship and bonding this year and next with Mr. Morgan, so we won't get into that today. But do you have any other questions or concerns?"
"I don't have anything else," said Harry.
"Me either," Draco echoed.
"You may go then," Narcissa dismissed them.
"Blessed be," the boys said together as they left. She giggled as she heard Harry's comments as they wandered down the hall.
"See, Draco, being an omega isn't the end of the world. You would be more magically powerful and you could have kids!"
January 1990Harry and Draco would be turning ten this year. Harry had been with the Malfoys for just over a year and half and was looking forward to the coming out party Draco would be having for his birthday. The Malfoys and Severus had very carefully explained his circumstances and the danger associated with him being recognized as Harry Potter when he first came with him, but they were able to explain so much more during the time he lived with them. So Harry was not upset at not having his own party for his 10th birthday. He had been masquerading as Mister Rigel Black nearly the entire time he had been with Malfoys, and was unconcerned at keeping it up for the party.
Lucius, Narcissa, and Severus had decided that they would throw Draco's party between his birthday and Harry's on June 23rd. Then they would tell people that "Rigel" was returning to France for his party so no one would be expecting a second party. People would likely still bring "Rigel" gifts for his birthday, but as they had told people his birthday was July 11th, it wouldn't make much of a difference, nor would he be associated with Harry Potter in any way.
Draco was more than happy to share his party with his brother, and made his feelings about Harry not getting a party at all very clear to his parents. Especially because Draco had realized during his talks with Harry about the past that Harry had never had his First Accidental Magic Party after he turned three and started displaying magic, nor the special party for his first core maturation at age seven. So what had started as Draco's Party became The Boys' Party. All their friends would be invited, as well as their families. Narcissa had already started planning, determined her boys would have the best Coming Out party of the year.
While all the party planning was occuring, Harry and Draco were continuing their wizarding studies with Mr. Morgan. Harry had progressed rapidly, far more so than anyone had anticipated. He had caught up to Draco's work by the end of his first year, and so far, he had been performing up to his usual near-perfect standards. He had been told about his Heir status for the Honorable and Most Noble House of Potter and what that meant for him, but he also participated in Draco's Heir lessons for the Noble and Most Ancient House of Malfoy. Lucius was Lord to an Ancient house, and Severus was Lord to a Noble House, so they had people to ask if they had questions. Lucius had insisted on Draco and Harry both participating in the same lessons for their Heirships as he wanted them both prepared for any occurance in the Wizengamot, meetings and social events with other Lords and Heirs, and any other situation that might arise for either of them.
Draco was performing just slightly lower than Harry, but was quite pleased Harry was helping him, as he was still concerned about possibly presenting as an omega at thirteen. He was working very hard to ensure that his skills were exemplary and that his father would have no reason to pass the family business to anyone other than himself. Continued discussion with Harry on the subject helped to soothe his nerves, but it was a common topic of conversation for them when they were alone. As the two shared many hobbies and enjoyment of the same entertainments, Harry was coming to believe that they would both be presenting as Omegas.
Saturday, June 23, 1990It was finally here! The day of the Coming Out Party! Draco was up at the crack of dawn, dashing into Harry's room across the hall and pouncing on the young man as he slowly woke up.
Groggily Harry asked, "Wa'izit?"
Draco laughed when he heard Harry's slurred speech. "It's our party today!" he exclaimed loudly.
Harry sat straight up in bed, now fully awake. "It is!"
"The party starts at 2 pm, so Mother wanted us to be back up here to dress immediately after lunch at noon. We should go get breakfast and then go fly for an hour before she catches us and makes us go back to the play room for 'non-strenuous play,'" he mimicked his mother perfectly and Harry started giggling, "'so we don't tire ourselves out before the party,'" he finished with his nose in the air.
"I just want to check on our robes," Harry said, jumping out of bed and dashing to his closet. "I know I've been working on them since March, but I just want them to be perfect. And oh, if something was wrong when we went to dress and I didn't have time to fix it…" his voice dropped to a whisper, "Cissa would call Mr. Twilfitt and Mr. Tatting to fix it and they'd be soooo disappointed…" He shook his head vigorously, praying all his work was still good.
He opened the garment bags to show Draco and they both just stood there, inspecting their clothes for a few minutes. No one had seen the robes except Harry, Draco, Mr. Twilfitt, and Mr. Tatting. But they were marvelous. He had created them as his project to advance to Journeyman in his apprenticeship, and his masters would be grading them today at the party. If Mr. Twilfitt and Mr. Tatting approved, he would be able to start making clothes for his own clients, and not just under the auspices of the Twilfitt and Tattings shop.
Harry first inspected Draco's. He had a light grey pair of trousers made from acromantula silk. Harry had embroidered the hems, waist, and seams with tiny swirled waves imbued for cooling since the party was to be held outside and he didn't want Draco to overheat. His shirt was a plain white button up in a cotton silk blend, extremely breathable, and also embroidered with Harry's swirling pattern on the cuffs, collar, and seams. Severus had given Draco a pair of silver cufflinks for his birthday, and so he had those to wear as well. His vest and bow tie were silver, picking out the silver in his eyes. The robe itself was an intense blue, Malfoy blue. Harry had worked the same swirling waves in sterling silver thread along the hem at the bottom, collar, and down both sides of the opening on the front. It had four sapphire buttons from neck to waist holding the robe closed. The most important thing about his robe, however, was that it was made from sea silk. A ridiculously expensive fabric, light and levitating, terrible to work with, but gorgeous when handled properly, and one miniscule mistake could ruin the entire project. Sea silk was said to be sentient to the tailor and wearer's wishes, but would refuse to cooperate with any it deemed unworthy of its perfection. Whether those rumors were true or not was debatable, but these robes were Harry's first creation in the fabric, and since they were being graded by his masters, he wanted them just perfect.
Once he was satisfied with Draco's, he turned to his own. They were black, the deepest black he'd ever seen. His trousers and shirt were exactly the same as Draco's, bar color. Harry's were solid black. His vest and tie were silver as well. They selected the silver to have something match between them, and it was nice they shared silver in their family colors, Draco's paired with blue for the Malfoys, and Harry's with black for the Blacks. Severus had given Harry a matching set of cufflinks for his birthday, though it was early, and they matched Draco's, so they would have that as well. But his robe. Oh, his robe. It was his masterpiece. It was sea silk as well, but the black was so dark it actually appeared to be sucking in light. He had worked nearly a month longer on his robe as instead of the swirls of his cooling pattern only on the edges of his robe, he had decided to make them larger, and cover the entire thing. The pattern was still understated as it was only one thread thick, but the swirls were larger, and oriented to draw eyes towards his face when worn. Where Draco wanted his robe a bit more "understated elegance," Harry had decided he wanted a bit more attention. Therefore, he had edged his robe with skinny onyx beads to add a subtle shimmer, and worked tiny crystals into the swirls, a few towards the edges, but focusing and multiplying near the centers. His buttons were onyx with halos of clear crystal. His robe sparkled and shimmered, which was exactly what he wanted.
They both looked at each other and nodded their satisfaction with their clothing, and linked arms to run off to breakfast. They did manage to get in nearly two hours of flying before Narcissa called them in. They retreated to their playroom and did wind up taking naps in the cozy corner while the wall mural displayed the library, and the occupants of all the murals watched over them.
After lunch the boys went to clean up and get dressed for the party. It was nearly 2 pm when they emerged together from their rooms and headed down the main staircase side by side. Lucius, Narcissa, and Severus were waiting for them in the entrance hall, watching their descent. All three were somewhat shocked at their appearance, and though Harry was under glamour, both looked exceeding smug.
"Harry…" Narcissa breathed. Harry's eyebrow lifted in a "please continue" arch he had picked up from Lucius.
"This is what you made for your project?" she managed.
"Yes," he responded succinctly.
"They're marvelous!" She finally exclaimed. "Brilliant. I don't think I've ever seen such robes."
Severus was nodding next to Narcissa. Lucius had activated his aura sight and was taking in the presence of the magic over their clothes in awe. They had discussed the possibility that he might be a threadwizard, but Harry was unwilling to say for certain as he knew they wouldn't know for sure until he was seventeen. He was very much enjoying the work however, and so he secretly hoped he was.
"This is remarkable," Lucius said after looking his fill. "I can see the aura on your clothes, it's so strong and so bright. If I were a gambling man, Harry, I would put a large sum of money on you being a true threadwizard."
Harry blushed, ducking his head. He was getting used to compliments, but such fantastic praise for his skills would sometimes still embarrass him.
"Thank you," he whispered shyly.
The adults led the children to the Silver Sunroom which was next to the staired entrance to the Rose Garden. They were to wait there until their official Coming Out Presentation which would occur around 2:30. Harry and Draco clasped hands while they waited.
At 2:30 pm, Dobby and Tansy opened the doors from their sunroom to the stairs. The boys stood shoulder to shoulder as they stepped up to the top of the stairs and paused for a few moments, allowing the photographer to get their picture. They stepped down the stairs perfectly in sync, faintly pleased but still stoic expressions on their faces. They were both laughing internally as they heard the gasps and shocked comments about their clothes. Draco was proud of his friend and brother, and Harry was pleased his work appeared to be making a statement. Once they cleared the stairs they stepped over to the receiving line beginning to greet their guests and push them on towards the food.
There were a number of high profile figures because Lucius was so heavily involved in the Ministry, along with all their friends and their families. Harry's masters were present as well. When they stepped up to congratulate him on his birthday, they took the opportunity to whisper that they would see him a bit later in the party after they had a moment to check Heir Malfoy's clothes, when they would check his more intensely, and determine if he had passed his project. Harry nodded.
The boys spend their time split between Lucius and Narcissa and the political talks, and their friends, Blaise and Theo and their families. There were a few other children their age present, but it was mostly the children of political alliances or rivals who would cause talk if they were not present for such an event. As such, both Harry and Draco made the further acquaintance of several other children who would be in their class at school: Pansy Parkinson, Vincent Crabbe, Gregory Goyle from the more traditional side, Hannah Abbot, and Neville Longbottom from the more modern side, and Susan Bones from the Neutrals.
The party passed quickly, and it was nearing 5 pm when he finally saw his masters beckon him from one of the smaller open tents Narcissa had scattered around the garden. They took a few moments, evaluating his clothes, inspecting fabrics, construction, seams, embroidery, and beading. They had been favorably impressed with young Heir Malfoy's clothes, not having seen them completely finished, but these. These robes which Harry was wearing were magnificent. Amazing quality for one so young, and so new to training. There was no more illusion that Harry might not be a threadwizard. They could both clearly see the imbued magic in both sets of robes, stronger in Harry's than Draco's, but definitely there. His work was exquisite, and not just the thread magick itself, but his sewing skills. No wand, so all his work was hand done, and his stitching was so neat and precise. If they hadn't known he was the creator of these fantastic robes, they would never have believed it. These robes were near, if not at, Master quality and he was submitting them for Journeyman!
"You have passed, Harry," Mr. Twilfitt spoke very quietly. Though no one was nearby, one couldn't be too careful.
"We'd note you for straight Mastery if we could," Mr. Tatting continued.
"These are fantastic work," Mr. Twilfitt commented.
"We'll see you on Monday to discuss ways and means," Mr. Tatting finished.
Harry nodded, shocked by their response to his work, but unsurprised by their use of his real name. One of the stipulations Lord Malfoy had put in his apprenticeship contract was that they take a vow of silence regarding his identity. Lucius wanted Harry's skills and achievements to be under his own name, not Rigel Black.