So, chapter two! This chapter focuses more on Ron's POV and we find out a little more about mates and mating for the Unseelie.

Special thanks to Aiesya-chi, BookFan5252, Chegarty Fangirl27, Dantra, EMyra, Ghouly-Girl, Kala4nea, Legolas0815, Lunaschild2016, Magic Girl Forever, Obsessivetech, Rarp, ThunderClaw03, madystar1, mrsancog, jessbadette, and skyjadeprincess for being the first people to fave/follow my story. Thank you guys so much!

This chapter is dedicated to Lunaschild2016 for being my first reviewer! Thank you so much!

Anyway, I hope you guys enjoy this next chapter. Love you all xx


Ron wasn't surprised when Fred, George, and Percy called him into Percy's room. Frankly, he was more shocked that they had waited as long as they did to get him alone. They had all grown up on stories about the Unseelie so that when their creature inheritance came in they wouldn't be surprised by any personality changes. Ron knew just how possessive his brothers were currently feeling about Holly because he felt it too; he just felt it differently to how they did.

"Before you say anything," he began quickly, his eyes narrowed, "I'm not going to tell you anything about Holly." Had he not lived with them his entire life, Ron would have cowered at the glares they sent at him. "The only reason I'm not outright disapproving of your intent to pursue a mate bond with Holly is because you've all shown an interest in her for a while now," he continued, "but that doesn't mean I'm going to make it easy on you.

"My best friend is sleeping in my room, having been traumatised enough to come into her inheritance two years early," he told them sternly, his eyes darkening, "she's confused and scared and the last thing she needs is for me to tell her potential mates everything about her instead of making you work for it. Holly has always craved love and affection but she's not going to believe you are interested in her for any other reason than your creature inheritance."

"So, what do you suppose we do?" Percy asked, a frown marring his otherwise handsome face, "it's not like we haven't felt the Draw to other witches but never as strong as with Holly and never all of us at one."

"I wouldn't be surprised if Charlie and Bill feel the same," Fred stated calmly, his chin resting in his hands as he eyed his brothers.

"We'll find out when they meet her at the Quidditch World Cup," George added with a determined nod.

Ron shrugged, "get to know her as friends before you try to get to know her as friends. I wouldn't expect her to warm up to your affections immediately either; she still sometimes flinches when Hermione and I hug her."

He ignored the way his brothers' eyes darkened at his words, knowing how they felt. It made him angry that Holly had been beaten so often that she couldn't even really tell the difference between a touch meant to cause pain and a touch meant to show love.

"Is there anything you will tell us about Holly?" Percy asked, "out of all of us, you know her best."

He thought about that for a moment, seriously contemplating if he should give them any slack or make them work for it from the very start. In the end, it was thinking about just how happy his brothers would try to make Holly that had him replying.

"Her favourite colour is yellow, the same yellow as sunflowers which are her favourite flower; she says the colour and the flower make her feel happy and warm," he told them gently, remembering the late-night conversations he and Hermione often had with Holly. "She doesn't particularly hate any foods but that's more to do with the fact that she was always starved by her relatives. She loves Treacle Tart though; she'd eat an entire plateful to herself if she could."

Ron smiled as he thought about the happy smile Holly would have as she happily munched on Treacle Tart at school; Hermione had even learnt how to make them so she could send them to Holly on her birthday when Holly would sneak out to the park so she could eat them.

He smirked a moment later, looking at his brothers with mischief in his eyes. "Holly has a right temper too," he told them, "makes mum look like a saint when she finally loses it. I've only seen it once and it was the most terrifying thing I've ever witnessed. What makes it worse is I don't even think that was her losing control of her temper either."

He shivered, remembering how thick with Holly's magic the air had been when they had confronted Professor Lockhart only to learn that he had been planning to abandon Ginny to spare his own life. Sure, Ron had been furious with the man, but his reactions paled in comparison to Holly's. Even Lockhart, much older than Holly, had coward away from the twelve-year-old girl who had threatened him with things that had made Ron feel like he was going to empty the contents of his stomach.

Holly Potter was protective of the people she loved, and Ron had witnessed just how powerful she was that day. The most terrifying part of it was that Holly didn't seem to realise how powerful she was; and that was before coming into her creature inheritance.

"You can't be serious," Percy scoffed. There was no possible way that anyone was scarier than their mother.

Ron's smirk returned in full, but he didn't get to reply as a frightened scream pierced the air.

He, Percy, Fred, and George rushed from the room, all of them rushing for Ron's room moments after seeing Ginny and their mother run in.

Tisiphone was in the room still, now straddling Holly's waist as she kept the struggling girl pinned down. Ron would have shouted at the woman, but he bit his tongue when he realised that Holly's screams had stopped and she was now growling aggressively, her claws tearing into the mattress of the bed.

"What happened?" Percy demanded, looking to his mother who was treating the claw marks on Ginny's arm.

"She is trapped in her own mind," Tisiphone answered from her spot, on top of Holly, "your sister tried to intervene, and Holly reacted as any Erinyes would when faced with a perceived threat."

"I'm fine," Ginny assured her brothers and mother, "Holly would never hurt me intentionally."

"We need to…" Ron began, turning to look back at Holly and ducking just in time to avoid being hurled into the wall by Tisiphone after Holly had flung her sister off of her.

Wide brown eyes took in his best friend who was now crouched on his bed, her wings drawn behind and above her to make her seem bigger. Her eyes were open but were hazy, like she was still trapped in the thralls of a nightmare she seemed unable to stop. George's old, knitted sweater should have made her look less intimidating, but Ron still found himself gulping and taking a cautious step back.

"Everybody out," Molly ordered sternly, already leading Ginny over to the door slowly, her eyes never leaving Holly, "this is not something we can deal with; let Tisiphone handle Holly."

Tisiphone was already pulling herself through the hole in the wall, her wings moving to flick the dust from them as she snarled at her sister.

"Sister or no," she began, "do not think I will allow this challenge to go uncontested."

Her sword manifested in her hand and Ron stopped backing out of the room as he began protesting only to stop when a *bident manifested in Holly's hand. Before they could fully take in the beautiful weapon Holly now possessed, Tisiphone was flying at the newly awakened Erinyes with a birdlike screech.

The two Erinyes' colliding sounded like thunder and seemed to shake the foundations of the Burrow. Molly was quick to usher her children out of the room moments before Holly tackled Tisiphone through the window and into the garden.

All six Weasley's ran down the stairs, meeting Arthur in the kitchen before they all filtered out the back door. Tisiphone and Holly were on their feet, the two Erinyes' circling each other. Tisiphone handled her sword as if it were an extension of herself whilst Holly looked awkward holding the bident; though, the girl seemed unaffected by the large weapon.

"She can't still be asleep after that," Ginny commented, astonished.

"She is awake, but her mind is not her own," Tisiphone answered as she gracefully dodged a swing of the bident before skilfully blocking another strike. "Her instincts screamed that she was in danger and now they must be appeased before she will return to herself," she continued, kicking Holly away from her when the new Erinyes flew at her with a shriek.

It was clear to all who were there to witness the fight who really had the upper hand. Although Tisiphone had stayed on the defensive, there was no question that she would dominate the inexperienced Erinyes that was Holly Potter should she choose to. For now, it seemed Tisiphone was going to allow Holly to fight out whatever was going on it her mind, even if Holly looked like a baby giraffe trying to take its first steps.

Ron remembered from the stories he heard as a child that, when threatened, an Erinyes would enter into a battle state that increased their strength and speed to better protect themselves from the perceived threat. He didn't know how long the state lasted but he could see Holly's strength waning. She still hadn't fully recovered when she had entered into a battle state, and it was shown visibly on her ashen face.

"She'll hurt herself if she keeps going," Percy growled, stepping forward to intervene and ignoring his mother's soft chiding.

The moment Percy entered their line of sight, the air seemed to still as Holly's eerily glowing green eyes turned and studied him closely. Ron saw Percy offer her a placating smile, raising his hands in a clear sign of submission.

Tisiphone moved before they had even realised that Holly had, the older Erinyes moving in front of Percy in time for Holly to wrap her legs around her sister's waist and dig her claws into Tisiphone's shoulders for leverage before sinking her fangs into her sisters neck.

"Foolish boy," Tisiphone hissed, her face not showing any pain from having Holly's claws and fangs embedded in her flesh, "if you wish to mate her do not show submission. Erinyes seek power and dominance; does it not stand to reason that my sister would seek such qualities in her future mates?"

"Wait, are you saying that Holly just marked you as her mate?" Ginny asked curiously.

"The aim of her bite was not to mark but to maim," Tisiphone replied as Holly's whole body tensed, her eyes widening as she seemed to realise what she had done, "the taste of blood has satisfied her beast."

Ron watched Holly swallow, her eyes clearing and the glow ceasing before a whine left her lips, muffled by the fact her fangs were still embedded in her sister's neck. Tisiphone's attention moved to her sister, a clawed hand coming up to awkwardly stroke Holly's hair as she growled lowly and comfortingly.

He wanted to approach when he saw Holly's eyes rapidly filling with tears and lost the battle to stay back when her eyes met his. Ron moved passed his siblings and hurried over to Holly and Tisiphone, the former slowly releasing her hold on her sister's neck and shoulders; licking the wound she had left behind before she allowed Tisiphone to place her on the ground.

The moment he was within arm's length, Holly attacked Ron in a hug. He tightened his hold on her waist when he felt her shivering, shushing her softly as she buried her head in his chest; her wings and claws vanishing from sight. She didn't cry and for that, Ron was grateful. He wasn't good with crying girls, and it was worse with Holly, Hermione, Mum or Ginny; that's why Holly and Hermione always dealt with one another when the tears came out.

"Did I hurt anyone?" she asked, her face still buried in his chest.

"You managed to scratch Ginny, but mum healed her," he told her honestly, knowing Holly would just feel worse if she learnt it later.

"I'm sorry," she whispered, her hold loosening a little even as she slumped further into him. "'m tired," she mumbled.

Ron chuckled, "I'm not surprised. You've hardly had a full day to recover and fighting with your sister certainly hasn't helped any."

He chose not to tell her that she had made a hole in the side of the burrow and another in the wall of his room because he had seen his dad heading inside to no doubt fix that. Still, she wouldn't be able to sleep in his room tonight as the magic settled which meant that she was probably going to be bunking with Ginny.

"Come on," he urged softly, trying to get her to stand up a little so he could get her inside, "let's get you back to bed." He looked up at Tisiphone, the woman's sword, like Holly's bident, absent now that they had ceased fighting. "Will she be okay now?" he asked, wanting to make sure that Holly would be able to get enough rest so that she could actually recover.

"She will be fine if she is not left to dream," Tisiphone replied, her voice a low hiss, "her nightmare is what forced her into a battle state and, until she is trained, she will do so again and again whenever she is scared.

"Once she is fully recovered, I will take her to the Underworld and my sisters and I will train her to better control her new powers and instincts," she continued, "for now, let her rest; I will return for her at nightfall tomorrow."

"Wait," Ron said, seeing Tisiphone slowly beginning to vanish in that familiar plume of thick black smoke, "what about answering any questions she has?"

"She is in no frame of mind to ask, nor to receive answers," Tisiphone told him, "my sisters and I will make sure she is well informed upon beginning her training."

And then she was gone, and Ron couldn't help but grumble as he felt Holly lean more heavily against him before her weight suddenly vanished. He smiled when she made a cute little squeaking sound as she was lifted into Percy's arms and held against his chest. His smile only grew when Holly giggled.

"Didn't know you were so strong, Perce," Holly slurred, snuggling into the warm body as she blinked blearily, "warm too."

Ron saw Percy's ears redden even as his older brother smiled amusedly at the young witch/Erinyes in his arms. "It helps that you're so light," he replied, his smile falling away, "too light, actually." He looked towards their mother, "she's obviously been starved long term; we may need to visit Diagon Alley for nutrition potions."

Their mother nodded, already ushering her children back into the Burrow. Contrary to popular belief, the Weasley's weren't poor. Sure, they didn't flaunt their wealth like the Malfoy's did, but you couldn't be members of the Unseelie Court and not have wealth. They played into the 'poor wizarding family' shtick that everyone seemed to have about them; it allowed them to move more freely and with less suspicion. Purebloods were predictable in how they acted towards people they saw as 'lesser'. This applied to pureblood witches and wizards as well as those who were 'Light' creatures.

Percy and Ron entered the home, Holly already fast asleep in Percy's arms, his shirt clenched in her small fist. She really was too small for a witch her age and the way she looked now was an improvement to how she had looked when they had first met on Platform 9 ¾. Ron couldn't thank his mother enough for intervening the way she had when she had seen Holly talking to the muggle at the train station, asking about Platform 9 ¾.

Immediately, their mother had did what she did best; she made herself heard over all the noise of the morning rush. She had made sure that she mentioned the words 'muggle' and 'Platform 9 ¾' very clearly, keeping an eye on the obviously lost witch as she had done so. At the time, Ron had thought Holly was a muggleborn witch who had simply forgotten what she had been told by Professor McGonagall when it came to getting to the platform.

Instead, he had come to learn that Professor McGonagall hadn't even seen the girl before she had been thrust into the wizarding world. The headmaster had allowed Hagrid of all people to be the one to introduce Holly to the magical community. Not that there was anything wrong with Hagrid. Ron just thought that Holly's transition would have been smoother had Professor McGonagall been in charge of her assimilation into their world.

Ron was pulled from his thoughts when Percy ducked into his own room with Holly still in his arms. Making a choked sound, Ron hurried in after his brother, glaring at the older boy after he had placed Holly in his bed and tucked her in. "No," Ron said immediately, moving over to Holly only to have his path blocked by Percy, "she's not staying in here."

"She's as safe in here as she is in Gin's room," Percy replied sternly.

"Like hell," Ron growled, challenging his brother, "Ginny doesn't see Holly as a potential mate, and she certainly doesn't look at Holly like she hung the moon. The bond shouldn't even be working this fast and you're not the least bit concerned?"

Ron's words gave Percy pause. He had a point after all. The bond shouldn't have even gotten as far as it had in the last twenty-four hours. If anything, it shouldn't have started progressing until his other brothers had had a chance to meet Holly and see if the pull was there. Not that Ron doubted it would be but that didn't change the fact that everything was moving too quickly. Especially considering that Holly wasn't even old enough to complete a mating. Not for another two years anyway.

That was another concern Ron had. Magic would report to the Ministry that Holly had come into her creature inheritance in a year; there was nothing that could be done to slow that process. Holly being under sixteen meant that she couldn't complete a mating and that meant that she was an unclaimed, rare creature. The Ministry could override whatever claim his brothers wanted to have on Holly and have her matched with others of their choosing.

Holly being as powerful as she was, could have up to nine mates according to Madame Pomfrey; and did have seven fated mates if what her sister's said was anything to go on.

Ah, another concern. Had all of them been attracted to Holly, that number wouldn't be a problem. However, Ron and Ginny only felt a familial bond with Holly and that only left five brothers. So, where were the other two coming from? Unseelie weren't one to share a mate outside of the family; they were possessive like that. Having two unrelated mates would cause conflict and Ron didn't know how Holly would handle the stress of having to manage a relationship between feuding mates.

"It's crossed my mind," Percy replied solemnly, "however, I would be lying if I said that I wasn't okay with how quickly all of this is happening. Whilst my contact with Holly has been brief, it has been enough to learn that she is an amazing witch with a kind and caring soul. We had felt the pull since meeting her for the first time on Platform 9 ¾ but were very much aware that such thoughts were improper to have about an eleven-year-old girl.

"With that said, Holly has now come into her inheritance and many witches and wizards will flock to her once they learn of this," he continued, him and Ron leaving the room and the young witch sleeping within, "she is much more powerful than I think she realises, and that power will draw people to her. Many will wish to take advantage of her; whether to produce powerful heirs or to have access to her fortune. I'll be honest; the very thought of another having her makes the thought of using an Unforgiveable on them very appealing."

Ron didn't react to that; more than aware of what his brother was talking about. He hadn't come into his inheritance yet, but he had felt the Draw towards Hermione since meeting her on the train.

"None of this matters anyway," Percy continued, "we need to wait to see if the Draw extends to Charlie and Bill before we can even try to court Holly. As the eldest, Bill will be the first to mark her should she accept us, so, it's vital that we're all sure of what we're feeling."

"You'll have your job cut out for you."

Ron and Percy turned to see that Ginny had come out of her bedroom. She was holding a small basin, a sponge, and some soap as she leaned against the wall.

"What do you mean?" Percy asked, eyebrow raised at his little sister.

"I managed to speak to Tisiphone a bit last night," she told them, "Holly is the first of her kind and mating bonds won't work the same for her.

"Tisiphone said that Erinyes desire power and dominance; as such, Holly's mates would need to exhibit similar traits," she continued, "Tisiphone said she was surprised to realise that Holly is a submissive Erinyes; something completely unheard of.

"Being a submissive doesn't make her any less dangerous or powerful but it does mean that Holly's mates will be the dominants in the relationship. With that said, Holly won't really feel anything like a Draw towards potential mates; instead, anyone who manages to dominate her in combat will be deemed a potential mate."

"Why combat?" Ron asked curiously.

Ginny shrugged, "Tisiphone said they are creatures of violence so that it would only make sense that Holly would choose her mates through combat."

"This gives us a small advantage," Percy commented, "we're all knowledgeable in swordplay. It's expected of those born to the Unseelie court. There are a few other creatures who are knowledgeable in combat but many, especially Light creatures, rely heavily on their magic and Erinyes are said to be impervious to most magic."

"You're going to fight Holly?!" Ron growled; his eyes narrowed at his brother.

"I would duel her for the chance to be her mate," Percy answered without pause, "I assume that the fight continues until Holly deems the combatant worthy and submits to them willingly."

Ron and Percy cast a look at Ginny who nodded before she turned away from them. "I'm going to wash, Holly," she informed them as she stopped out front of Percy's bedroom, "mum wants both of you in the kitchen and Hermione just wrote back. She said she'll arrive the day after tomorrow, just in time to catch the Portkey to the Quidditch World Cup. We still haven't told her about Holly, and you should probably hold off on that until Holly's awake longer than an hour at a time."

"Shit," Ron grunted, running his hands through his hair, "Tisiphone is going to be back for Holly tomorrow night."

"Time works differently in the Underworld," Ginny commented lightly, "Tisiphone wouldn't tell me how, but I don't think Holly would be gone long for her training."

Ron felt better hearing that. Not only did he not want to be separated from his best friend with her being in such a vulnerable state; but Ron also knew that Holly would be devastated if Holly missed the Quidditch World Cup. She had been looking forward to it since he had told her about it last year.

He knew, in the grand scheme of things, that the Quidditch World Cup was a low priority right now, but Ron wanted to see the awe that would clearly shine in Holly's eyes when she saw the stadium and witnessed her first professional Quidditch match. He was also, secretly, eager to see if the Draw his brothers felt towards Holly was also felt by Bill and Charlie.

When he looked passed his protectiveness, Ron knew that his brothers would be fitting mates for Holly. He knew that they would care for her and love her the way she deserved to be loved. In the end, that was all Ron wanted for his best friend and his brothers.

"Come on," Percy said, drawing Ron from his thought, "better get to the kitchen before mum pitches a fit."

Ron's face paled a little at the thought of his mother's temper before he practically flew down the stairs; more than aware that Percy was smirking behind him.

Ron didn't care. If his mum, Hermione, Ginny, and Holly had taught him anything in the time he'd known them all it was that women were utterly terrifying.

And only an idiot wouldn't fear their ire.


Bident - A bident is a two-pronged implement resembling a pitchfork. In Greek mythology, the bident is a weapon associated with Hades (Pluto), the ruler of the underworld.


Obviously, I've made up the Unseelie mating habits but I hope you guys find them somewhat believable. The one thing I never really liked about Mate stories was that, if the mates didn't get together, than one or both would die.

In this story, Unseelie will feel a Draw to men or women who are 'suitable' options for a mate. In the case of brothers (or sisters) all parties involved would need to feel the Draw to a mate for them to agree on one.

Ron and Ginny feel a Draw to Holly, however, the Draw they feel is more of a familial one. This was because I didn't want to have Ron and Ginny mated to Holly. Instead, Ron will remain with Hermione (because I love them together) and Ginny will feel her Draw to Luna.

If two females falling in love bother's you than some parts of this story may not be to your liking. Similarly if two males being in love bother's you because there will be that in here too.

In the case of Erinyes mating, I've taken liberty with that as well since, as stated previously, Erinyes don't take mates. I do not condone violence against spouses and I hope the 'dominated in combat' thing doesn't come across like that. Erinyes are a warrior race and as such, I feel like they would want a strong mate. The 'combat' portion of this story will literally be a spar/duel. I will not have any of the brothers, or Fabian and Gideon, attack Holly for the purpose of truly harming her. However, if you require a trigger-warning at the beginning of those chapters, please let me know and I will do my best to remember to add them.