A/N: Hello!! This chapter is a bit all over the place, but I'm only leaving this here as a warning. I don't wanna squick you guys out, but this chapter has a small bit of masturbation by Harry or really Rie, as he ignores his dick the entire time. That's not much of a problem right? If so you can just skip a few paragraphs and it'll be over.

-Xenia


Chapter 23: A Song to Sing

The first few days back were definitely hectic for Harry. He was going from class to class, trying to catch up from the two days he'd missed, and on top of that he now noticed the amorous and upsetting looks aimed at him.

There weren't very many, but he still noticed Ginny everywhere he went. On top of that, he was still getting used to the change in dorms, the change in his uniform, and the change in how free he felt. He was still using the golden boy mask, but he had let the cracks show in places.

He had gone with his sisters to the shops on the Hogsmeade weekend two days after the house change, and they had helped him find suitable clothing and underwear for his innocent look into female clothing.

At the moment he only has girls pants and shirts, as well as a few skirts and dresses for whenever he felt daring enough to put them on. He bought flats, a couple of kitten heels, and one pair of black heels that made his legs look great, and let his sisters take care of picking out his underwear.

Every shop he walked in, people stared. Some were looking at his uniform, and others at the clothing his sisters kept piling into his arms. Most put it down to the two using him as a clothing rack, but Harry still felt insecure.

"People will always stare, so let's give them something to stare at." Aubrey had said that morning, pulling Harry out of his blanket cocoon and bed.

"Shut up Bre, you idiot!" Ryan scolded her twin. "The only thing that matters, is if you feel good in the clothes. Don't worry about the world, because they don't know who you are."

"I just wanted him to smile, Ry... But really, if you don't like anything we find today, it's ok too. You don't have to wear girls clothing just because you have the same parts as us. Ryan hardly wears feminine clothes and she's still amazing." Aubrey said, gently petting her young brothers braided hair.

Harry sighed, finally dragging himself out of bed and tidying his hair. The braids were replaced by a low ponytail of thick waves. His sisters left him to change, heading to the common room to wait for him before breakfast.

The morning moved fairly quickly thereafter. Every so often, Harry was reassured that his body was his to decorate, and soon he allowed himself to actually have fun. The first stop was to get a new wand, which turned out to be a twelve inch Willow wand with a crystalline dragons tear as its core. It was thin and light, the wood dark and firm, and almost entirely smooth. The shopping continued after that, with his heart feeling much lighter because of the new wand in his hip holster.

He still couldn't believe that he had let his siblings buy him underwear though... They'd picked out mens briefs, that were made of silk or lace. There was women's panties, but in a boy short style so it wasn't too uncomfortable. There were also more intimate things, like shirt garters and even something called a teddy. In all honestly, Harry was scared to look in that particular bag, and its shrunken size still weighed heavily on his mind.

And on the next Hogsmeade weekend, Harry found his sisters adding accessories to his new collection. Hair accessories, and makeup aside, they used him as a doll once again. He couldn't say that he hated it but still. Twice they had woken him early to bring him to the shops.

The only thing that made him pause, was the thought that his mate might see this one day. By that point in the day, he, his siblings, and his friends had met at the Three Broomsticks for some butterbeer and a chance to take a break.

The only real difference was that sitting with them, was Malfoy and Zabini. Many Slytherins were upset with the two. Not because of Voldemort or the war, but because they apparently "thought themselves too good" for the house of snakes.

Slytherin already had a bad enough reputation, but with two of the most influential sixth years leaving the house without warning? It seemed even worse.

"Potter!" Malfoy snapped, pulling a face at the smaller boy. "Fix your face, it's unbecoming." The ex Malfoy heir still used Harry's original surname, but switched between Potter and Dunhill as he was still getting used to speaking with his former rival.

Harry closed his mouth, and rubbed his cheeks hoping the blush would dissipate. Merlin's beard, Severus might see his underwear? Would the man like it, and think Harry was cute? Or would he hate it?

The twins said that it didn't matter what others think, but Harry finally found himself at a point where he could think about going further again. They hadn't kissed since that day, and while it hadn't been more than a few weeks yet, it did feel like a lifetime.

More... he wanted to kiss his mate again, but the man had been called to meetings with Voldemort at odd times, so they'd had to cut their time together short.

"Harry?" Hermione asked, pulling his attention back to the present.

"Yeah 'Mione?" He answered, blinking his thoughts away. Turning to face his taller friend he took in the fond exasperation on her pretty face. Had he been humming again or something??

The girl looked at him and then sighed. How could her friend be so oblivious but cute at the same time.

She leaned in a bit closer and let the teen know that while he was spaced out, several girls and boys had begun to gravitate towards their table. As soon as the green eyed dragon looked up at the other students, the group began speaking all at once.

"Are you sure you want to be courted so soon?" Their voices were loud, drawing more attention than the group would like. "Can I court you?" A second year boy said, with an innocent gleam in his eyes. Then someone said, "I know I'm not a boy, but I do think you'd like me."

"Who's courting you?" And "Do you know him?" "What year is he in?" "Are you going to turn him down?" A girl pushed through the crowd, "Because he couldn't tell you to your face I think you should..."

Many of them were there for Harry, but as the group got larger and louder, Harry could hear others trying to ask his friends similar questions. Like if Hermione would like to go on a date, or why Blaise and Malfoy abandoned their house. They asked Luna why she thought she could become friends with students that were so obviously better than her, and so on and so forth.

It was then when Harry and his friends tried to get everyone away, shooing them and turning down whatever questions or invitations they had.

"Enough!" Harry sighed. He couldn't keep acting like a nice boy just to save face. He wouldn't tear into them because they didn't know that his suitor was also his mate, and thus someone he would never reject or turn down.

They also really didn't need to know that he'd almost rejected the man before realizing what he'd done. Everyone was still trying to talk over one another, ignoring his call.

Futility, he tried to gain their attention without calling to everyone in the area, but it was too much. He wound up snapping, raising his voice to just below a scream.

"I'm not turning him down, and if my friends want you to talk to them, do it without acting like a bunch of uncivilized zoo animals!" He said in exasperation. The crowd was in shock from his insult, so Harry and his friends took that opportunity to start gathering their things.

The door opened then, and who else would walk in besides his mate? The teen knew the man had already heard what was happening, but had his mate come to save him, or watch him flounder his way out of this crowd?

After a few seconds of the man just standing back with a look of pure amusement in his darkly colored eyes, Harry tried not to look annoyed. His mate really was a jerk sometimes...

"For those of you who really can't take no for an answer, my suitor is amazing. He sees me for who I am and I love him for it. Maybe if he was a complete berk or a stranger I would have turned him down, but because I know just who he is as well, I've come to care for him a lot." This first statement managed to keep everyone silent, so Harry fought through his embarrassment to finish. "I know who he is, because we have met. And as a dragon kin I was able to figure out that he is my mate. There really is no one else for me, so can you all stop this?"

The smaller group of teens had finally gotten everything in order, so they pushed past the group and left the building. Harry was in the front of the group, which was odd as he was the shortest and sometimes unable to keep up with the other's longer strides.

On the way out Harry whispered to his mate. "We're going back Professor."

"Indeed." Was his answer, and though neither looked at the other, Harry felt a warmth in his chest coming from his mate.

HPSSHPSSHPSS

That night Harry had stayed up late trying to finish up some of his Herbology notes, when Silas came in through the window with a letter.

Usually it was Hedwig or a school owl that delivered his mail, but all four heads on Silas looked excited, so the teen didn't comment. The note was from his mate, which was surprising as they hadn't spoken at all that day.

"Forgive me, my mate, but I could not risk the temptation of your blushing face. If I had come any closer, I would not have stopped until you were in my arms reach." The teen blushed at this, happy that he could chirp or hum as he liked in his new private room.

Beyond the doom and anguish persona he projected, Severus was a romantic. He still sent the teen flowers, and sparkling objects, he escorted Harry when possible, checked in on him throughout the days, and sent him messages like this at night. He had stopped being outwardly cruel to Harry outside of their alone time, and he was even opening up with his past and his side of the bond.

It may seem like too much, or maybe not enough, but Harry was still elated to know more about his mate. The note went on.

"How, I wonder, would you have reacted to that outcome? Would that have been the moment the world knew? Would you have simply gone with my impulse or pulled away?"

'I'd never be able to pull away from him' Harry though with a private smile. He turned on his bed from his side onto his back, and held the letter above his head. It was in moments like these that he felt like he could come to love the way his life had changed. It wasn't all bad, and he had so much support now that he felt secure in who he was.

He read the last of the note, only to blush as the message became flirty. They really hadn't done anything after that day in the hospital wing, and just reading how the dragon wanted to pull him closer made him feel a little hot. Severus had described how he would mark Harry as his own, privately, so that the world would once again be shocked that their hero was a real living being too.

Harry could just imagine the way his mate would guide his lips, holding his chin in place as they moved. How the mans other hand would be resting possessively on his waist. The way he would be pulled in closer, until their chests touched... until their whole bodies met one another in a warm embrace.

A phantom memory of the mans lips on his own made the teen close his eyes. He could remember just how they breathed in that moment, the way his mate commanded his tongue. It made him feel like he was back in that single moment, but it just wasn't enough.

Unsatisfied, he put this letter with the rest in his bedside drawer, and closed his eyes again, letting his mind wander even further.

He had gotten to explore the other man a lot that day, but he still had no clue what his mate looked like beneath his robes. Was he as toned as he felt, or was the fabric impeding his data? Did his mate have body hair, or was he more smooth? And what if Severus' scales were visible beneath his clothing? How would they feel against his skin?

He had a lot of new questions, but as he allowed his mind to wander, his hands began to do the same.

Hands trailed over his chest and stomach, pushing up his night shirt in their attempt to get to his skin. In his mind his hands were replaced by those of his mate. The big warm hands making him pant from anticipation...

One hand moved higher on his chest, while the other snuck lower, teasing at the skin above his waistband. Shivers went up and down his spine as his sensitive skin was teased, the lower hand rubbing sensually over his trail of hairs, while the higher one brushed over his nipple.

A stifled chirp escaped the green eyed dragon, and he licked his lips, testing the sensation again. And again, and then again, until the test became more of a play. Until now, he had never explored his own body, seen what he liked or disliked, but tonight seemed to be a night of firsts for him yet again.

For instead of stopping at his usual place, ie his erection, his hand went a bit further. One finger tentatively prodding at the space, and he had to brace himself. Unexpectedly, it felt like he was experiencing an alien sensation. His eyes had opened at some point, unseeing, but alert just the same.

Letting himself get used to the feeling, he focused his attention on his chest once again. Pinching and squeezing, twisting and turning until he felt he had had enough. It was all nice until his skin started feeling a bit dry, so he stopped. Instead he allowed his mind to wander back down to his other hand.

It wasn't long until he began slowly tapping the area, trying to understand how it could make any sense. He was disturbed by the way it felt, and yet he was still turned on.

The disturbing thing was not that he had a vagina now, no he had mostly come to terms with that. What really got to him, was the fact that he was gay, so to be exploring this place felt wrong and almost gross mentally.

Almost like a barrier, it stood between him fully excepting his body and getting off, which to Harry, the second part was the most pressing matter.

Shaking his head, he moved his hand, the single finger tracing patterns over his skin, until he felt comfortable enough to move lower.

His arm was rested across his body, his wrist resting just beside his erection, rubbing against it in a fairly common way. His hand was in a loose fist, while his middle finger explored the new space. It wasn't until he brushed against something, that he realized why he felt that jolt of arousal that day.

All discomfort had left his mind by this point, and he closed his eyes once again trying to chase that feeling again. His breathing became ragged as he pushed closer to his climax, tears springing to his eyes as if he had kept them open for hours. His eyes were unable to stay closed or even look straight after a little while, and his mouth wouldn't close either. He was panting, chirping and moaning, trying not to be too loud, despite the private room. His wrist was even cramping up, but he pushed through that, holding his breath and biting his lip while he went.

It didn't take him long at all to cum this time, he had found different places that made him gasp and moan. What shocked him was how loud he had moaned as it happened, and the way his body jolted throughout. In the end as he came down from his experience, he knew that he wanted to feel his mate doing this to him as well. His legs had seemed to lock up, and everything ultimately led to his sleeping pants being uncomfortably warm and wet. He hopped up and went to take a shower, unable to look at his bright pink face in the mirror for long.

The next morning found Harry waking up earlier than usual. It was 4 and he had already gotten up, showered, and put the finishing touches on his notes and homework.

Silas was with him this morning, and as he got his bag ready, he wondered if the hydra had seen him last night.

He choked on spit for a moment, floundering to ask the miniature beast if it had left after delivering the letter.

'No. I was right beside the window all night' Silas answered, all four heads nodding innocently. Harry felt mortified, he couldn't remember if his canopy curtains had been drawn fully, or if his familiar had seen something entirely inappropriate. In the end, he just ignored it to the best of his abilities and left the room to wait for his siblings and friends.

The group usually consisted of Harry, Ryan, Hermione, and Luna. Aubrey usually took a bit longer to get organized, so she would meet them at the great hall, and Neville was usually the one to stay back and walk with Aubrey. Sometimes the two would be joined by the two former Slytherins, but usually they would all meet and walk to breakfast as a group.

Harry sat in front of the fireplace, thinking about the changes within his friend group. The Slytherins had cooled down a lot since Harry came out, and many of them became more open about who they liked, and what sides they were on since then. The school was oddly in a state of the same rivalries as always, only toned down as many had revealed their relationships with one another.

There was still the same groupings of students who weren't happy with the change, and a group of Slytherins had been disowned due to it.

It was obvious that Malfoy had already started showing his hand back when he discreetly backed Harry up in fifth year. But it wasn't until the blond changed houses, and refused to help kill Dumbledore, that he was struck from the Malfoy family line. His mother still supported him, though, and as the years passed, Harry could see his new friend growing closer to Hermione.

The blond had changed how he wore his hair, letting it grow out and stay free of slicking products. He had loosened up his pure blood act, and smiled more genuinely. Blaise hadn't changed overly much, just allowing his real personality to shine through. The two were more relaxed now than they had ever been, and it showed.

Neville had already come out of his shell, gone leaps and bounds away from his old clumsy past, and he had a confidence that seemed to endear him to alot of girls.

Hermione hadn't been slacking either. After finding out that the boy she had finally accepted as a friend, and even as a possible love interest was a complete bellend, she too had changed. She was a bit more reserved in who she trusted, but she trained herself to see further beyond who they projected themselves to be.

She was still a bookworm, but she was growing more into her body and mind each day and it showed.

Luna as well. She was still a bit odd, but she was as pretty, bubbly, and kind as usual, seemingly finding new ways to make the world a little more fun and crazy as the days past.

His sisters had been popular for a while as well, but it seemed that being in a group full of other somewhat popular teens made them even more popular than before.

Their group was full of smart, powerful, attractive teens and they stood out amongst their years and the rest of the school. Many of them had admirers, and it was naive for Harry to even entertain the idea that his statement yesterday would have lessened it.

It wasn't long until everyone met up and went down to breakfast. Nothing really had changed, other than this morning, as the short 6th year finished off his parfait and waffles, a small grey owl dropped a letter beside his plate.

Inside was a picture of Harry from the past week. It was weird, until a second owl came by, and soon after three more appeared, and in the end he had five small packages, each with one or two pictures and a letter.

Some were of just him, others had friends in them, or his family. Just anyone he'd interacted with lately. Each picture had a note on the back, asking if so and so was his "mate" or if the person in the picture knew more than they let on.

The morning had taken a turn, and all Harry could do was put it all away, and send a note to his new Head of House's office, requesting help.

Professor Flitwick was usually a calming presence in class, and the tiny man wasn't any different as his Head of House, but he didn't feel like dealing with a stalker or any more creeps on top of Ginny. The girl had backed down a bit, and Harry had seen her inner battle to keep away from him after Mrs. Weasley assured his family she would set her daughter right.

It was possible that this was her doing, but he didn't want to get so caught up in suspecting her, that he was at risk from someone else. He had done that to Malfoy in second year, and it backfired quite a bit.

It was obvious that today was going to be another he'll either want to forget about, or just bury deep in his memories, but as it was, he couldn't tell why.