Chapter 8

A Tale of Two Alphas

Ron and Harry entered the kitchen to see the fully Weasley family already sitting. It was very odd being with them after living with the Malfoys. There at the manor, Harry was always surrounded by the scents of the Alphas, Draco, Lucius, and his father, along with the flowery fragrance of the Omega Narcissa Malfoy. Here, however, there were no smells. No scents. Only Mrs. Weasley's cooking along with Ron's own scent filled the room. It was a little off-putting for Harry as he looked from person to person and sensed nothing. Mr. Weasley was the first to stand up and he quickly shook Harry's hand.

"Hello Harry," he said, "I didn't expect you till later this morning. Molly told me you went to sleep only ten minutes before I arrived home."

"Sorry, I was just really tired," Harry admitted.

"No worries, no worries," Mr. Weasley said. "Sorry I cannot stay any longer, I am actually about to leave." He turned and kissed Mrs. Weasley's cheek on the way out. "Sit down Harry, sit down," Mrs. Weasley said, "I have eggs all nice and ready."

Harry moved into the kitchen and smiled at Ginny, waving at her. Ginny, however, did not wave back to him. Harry sat down as Mrs. Weasley placed a plate of hot scrambled eggs with bacon in front of him. "Eat up dearie—oh, both of you should be happy to hear this, Hermione just arrived this morning."

"She did? Where is she?" Harry asked.

"Unpacking her stuff in Ginny's room," Mrs. Weasley answered. She looked at Ginny and said, "Go help her if you're done eating."

Ginny got up without a word, though Harry could still feel her eyes on him. She glared down at his necklace and her face turned red as her steps turning into furious stomps. Mrs. Weasley turned around, her hands on her side. "That girl," she said. "No good—would you like more bacon, Harry?"

Harry looked up. He didn't even touch his food before Mrs. Weasley shoved more bacon onto his plate. He has gotten more food than Ron, the person who would actually benefit and need the larger portions in Harry's mind. When Mrs. Weasley wasn't looking, Harry switched plates and started eating.

"What were the two of you talking about upstairs?" Mrs. Weasley asked conversationally. "I called you down a couple times, you know." She glanced between the two of them.

"Sorry, we were just catching up," Ron shrugged. Harry nodded and took a bite of his eggs. He swallowed and asked, "Mrs. Weasley, how is your garden?"

"The garden?" Mrs. Weasley blinked, "Well it's fine, I suppose. It looks the same as always, why do you ask?"

"I was wondering if I could work on it a little," Harry said.

"How sweet of you," Mrs. Weasley smiled, "though you don't really do not need to do that, you're our guest."

"No, I don't mind at all," Harry insisted. Mrs. Weasley did not look pleased but hid it with a smile as she nodded. "Thank you," Harry smiled.

Ron gave a small jump and turned to Harry, "You're an Omega," he said.

"Obviously," Harry rolled his eyes.

"Then can I ask you questions? And like you can answer how you feel about them as an Omega?" Ron asked. "Like I want to get this all right."

Harry thought for a moment and shrugged, "Alright, why not," he said.

"How do you feel about getting flowers?" Ron asked. "Is that too cheesy? Maybe embarrassing?"

Harry thought for a moment, "Well if it were me, first of all, I would appreciate any gift my Alpha gives me. With flowers, I would like to know a little bit more, you know, because they have these different means, you see. Like Roses mean 'I love you' but the different colors of roses mean a different kind of love."

"They do?" Ron asked. Harry nodded and Ron groaned, "I have to think of flower meanings?"

"I mean not everyone is as extensive as me with flower meanings, I mean I'm sure that even Neville doesn't know the meaning of, say, a purple tulip, but the important thing is that the gift is from you, you know. You the Alpha is giving your Omega a gift, you saw these flowers and immediately thought of your Omega," Harry explained. "Or better yet, your Omega saw these flowers and thought of you. Like when I look at you, Ron, if I had to put you like a flower I would say you're like a bundle of yellow roses or a Peruvian Lily along with black tulips and Gladiolus. Especially a Gladiolus." Harry nodded, smiling at his friend.

"What does that mean?" Ron asked, looking confused.

"A Gladiolus is strength. Strength of character, honor, and conviction," Harry explained. "Black tulips mean strength too while the others are for friendship."

"Woah—all that in these tiny plants?" Ron asked. Harry nodded. "Amazing," Ron whistled. "Okay, so should I have like these flowers as a hello gift? Like I walk up to the Omega and give them to them?"

"No, that just sounds creepy," Harry frowned. "Just talk to them like you would any other, just because they're an Omega and you're an Alpha doesn't mean that you can't be civil and friendly."

"What if, what if they're already a friend?" Ron asked, his cheeks growing red.

Harry thought for a moment, "Then I guess flowers would be a good start," he nodded. "But if you're not friends already, then I would suggest getting to know them a little first before starting with your Alpha-ness."

"I see, I see," Ron nodded. The two ate as they talked, neither noticing Mrs. Weasley leaving the kitchen. "What about during heats?" he asked.

Harry choked on his food, coughing violently as he grabbed something to push it all down. He downed a large glass of water and sputtered at Ron. "What?"

"You know," Ron said, his cheeks going red. "What am I supposed to do during, you know, heats?"

"We can take care of our own heats," Harry said, his face going red. He cleared his throat, "I mean, yeah when I was with Viktor he was obviously there during them, but I invited him to. After he left, I didn't exactly have uncontrollable heats or even wet heats to be honest. They are not these times where we are so horny that we can't help ourselves but to mate. At least for me, during my heats afterward they were just at worst uncomfortable. If you really want to know, um… I haven't made my own, you know, since Viktor until this summer with Draco."

Ron's eyes went huge when he understood what Harry was saying. "Bet the slimy bastard felt rather cocky when you told him that," he muttered.

"I didn't," Harry said. "I only told his mum about it—but only because I was confused on why it happened."

"Oh… so I know something that Malfoy doesn't know?" Ron asked, a satisfactory grin forming. "Good."

"You know a lot of things that Draco doesn't know yet," Harry corrected. "But this isn't about me and him." He stopped when he heard footsteps and looked up to see Hermione and Ginny walking down into the kitchen. Harry's nose twitched instantly, and he looked at Hermione.

"Harry!" Hermione said, rushing to give him a hug.

"Hello Hermione," Harry smiled, hugging her back. "I heard you just got here too?"

"About a couple hours ago," Hermione nodded. "You came here with Dumbledore, right? How was it? Where did you go?"

Harry shrugged, "It wasn't anything special, he just had me help him recruit a retired professor named Horace Slughorn."

"Well, that's good," Hermione nodded. "And you look good—you look… different."

Harry looked down and frowned, he was wearing muggle-like clothes that he and Draco have picked out in Twilfitt. They fitted him perfectly, especially around his butt. Harry blushed and took a step back, "I had a bit of a shopping trip last week," he said.

"Yeah I bet you did," Ginny muttered.

Harry frowned, "I'm sorry?" He said. "What's the matter, Ginny?"

"Nothing, just you lying to us," Ginny said. Harry frowned and looked at Hermione and Ron.

"I don't know what you're talking about—"

"You're an Omega!" Ginny raved. "You're an Omega and you're supposed to be an Alpha! You lied to us! You lied to me!"

Harry felt very awkward. He looked between Ron and Hermione who also shifted around awkwardly. "I didn't lie to you," he said.

"That's bullocks! I thought you were teasing me, but now it's just you were leading me on!" Ginny said.

"Woah, Ginny you're putting stuff that wasn't there at all," Ron warned.

"Shut up Ron this doesn't include you," Ginny barked. She whirled back to Harry and glared at him. "You are such an awful person! Leading your friends—leading me to think that you were an Alpha! That you were going to save us from You-Know-Who! And now you're an Omega! Was all that true? Did Skeeter actually write something true for once in her life? Huh, Harry? Have you ever loved me!?"

Harry did not know how to respond. He just stared at Ginny. That was the wrong thing to do apparently as Ginny scoffed at his look and before anyone could respond, slap him. "Oi!" Ron yelled, jumping up. "Get out!"

"Oh? You're defending him huh? What? Are you one of his boys too?" Ginny spat venomously before marching out of the kitchen, slamming the door behind her. Harry winced at the sound and looked at his two best friends.

The three stood awkwardly in silence until he broke it. "Did uh… did we not tell her?"

"I thought we did," Ron frowned. "Hermione?"

"No, I don't remember telling her," Hermione said, frowning. "Harry, are you okay?"

"Yeah, I'm more concerned about Ginny," Harry nodded. "Sorry that that had to happen."

"Wasn't your fault mate," Ron shrugged. "Oh! Hermione!" He jumped up and swelled his chest, "I didn't write to you about this because I wanted to tell you in public, with Harry as my witness. I'm an—" Ron stopped. His nose twitched and he stared at Hermione. Hermione stared at him. Ron's face drained and Harry felt like he could see his friend's soul leave his body. "No," he whispered. "No—Hermione you! You!"

"Yeah, I'm an Alpha," Hermione nodded. "I came into it a couple of days ago. I'm surprised that you're an Alpha too Ron, I thought that you would be a Beta for sure! With your family history into consideration."

"You're—you're an Alpha," Ron repeated. He fell back to his chair and turned to look at Harry. "Harry, Hermione is an Alpha," he sounded so defeated.

Hermione frowned, "Well I'm sorry for that," she said, sounding a little insulted. She sighed and looked at Harry for help. He frowned and her nose twitched. "Harry, this is going to sound odd but why do you have a bonding necklace that smells like Malfoy?"

Harry's cheeks went red. He shuffled nervously and looked at Ron for help. Ron, however, still looked like a living dead, staring into a defeated air. "That's because," he muttered, "I'm bonded to him. He's courting me."

"WHAT!" Hermione yelled. "Malfoy is what?"

Harry winced. Hermione stared at him angrily, her hands on her hips. He did his best to stand tall to his friend. He cleared his throat and said loudly, "Draco is courting me. We talked and made up and now we are dating, okay?"

"Harry, no, that is a terrible idea," Hermione said. "Malfoy's been nothing but an annoying, horrendous bully to us and his parents are followers of Voldemort!" That shocked Ron out of his stupor as he jumped at Voldemort's name. He looked between Harry and Hermione but said nothing.

Harry glanced at Ron, pleading that he would stay silent before he turned to Hermione. "Draco is not something to worry about," he said. "He's changed."

"As if," Hermione scoffed. "Where did you even see him anyway? Don't tell me you actually left the Dursleys during this time."

"Technically no," Harry said. "Look, the important thing is that Draco and I talked, we made up and he gave me this necklace. He wants to do better Hermione—"

"Then he should go to the Minister or Dumbledore and tell them everything he knows about his family's dark artifacts and Voldemort's plans," Hermione said.

"No," Harry said too quickly, "he can't do that."

"Then he's just the same spoiled prat we know," Hermione said. "You really should give me that and we can write to Dumbledore about it—"

She began to grab the necklace and Harry gave out a high scream. One hand went to pull his necklace closer while the other hand clawed at Hermione's, slapping it away with such vile that Hermione stared at him in shock. Nobody said anything, however, as three owls flew into the kitchen, dropping a letter in front of each of them. The three looked at each other, anger and tension completely vanished and replaced by another sort of tension. Harry flipped over his letter to see it was from Hogwarts.

"O.W.L. scores," Hermione whispered. Harry looked up at her then looked back at the letter. He turned around and went outside to open it, leaving Hermione and Ron by themselves. With shaky hands, Harry opened the envelope and slowly pulled out the parchment inside to read his scores.

.

Lord Voldemort was very happy. Today was a day that he liked very much. He was going to kill muggles. Specifically, he was going to kill the Dursleys. And what a day to do some killing.

It was a beautiful day. The sun was shining, birds were singing, and the good little boys and girls were outside playing in the park that Voldemort walked by. He has gotten some looks from their parents, the women whispering about the handsome stranger as he strolled by, but he didn't even acknowledge them. Today was just about one thing, and Voldemort was a stickler about focusing on his daily goals.

The Dursleys' home looked very unimpressive in Voldemort's opinion. The lawn looked meticulously mowed, with nary a blade out of place and the garden sitting in front of the windows looked drab, especially compared to the expansive garden in Malfoy Manor. Voldemort walked up the short pathway and did not even feel a barrier or charm blocking him from the house or knocking on the door. "Hello again, Dursley," Voldemort smirked when the fat muggle opened the door. He pushed himself in.

"You-you—you are not welcome here!" Mr. Dursley sputtered. Voldemort only chuckled coldly.

"Is that so? Then I wonder how it is that I can walk in so easily. Ahh, and here is the horse-faced sister," Voldemort smirked. "I must admit, the Potters in the year they had him have shown my son love and support that you clearly lacked. Did your sister take it all, along with any magical abilities?"

Petunia Dursley stared horrified at Voldemort. He took his wand out and with a few waves, placed undetectable charms and sensors. "There," he smiled. "Now nobody will interrupt us with this fun." Uncle Vernon seemed to have a rush of brainpower and adrenaline as he looked over at the telephone in the kitchen. He moved to grab it only to fall to the ground and forced up to the ceiling, his body jiggling at the impact. "Please don't try to involve muggle police," Voldemort sighed. "As much as I love killing muggles, I am only here for you two—as well as your son." He looked around and frowned, "Where is he?" He stepped forward, his wand held loosely in his hand as he called out, "Dudley! Dudley Dursley! Come out you little pig."

"He-he-he isn't—he isn't here," Aunt Petunia stuttered. "He went out—staying with friends."

"Shame, purely a shame," Voldemort sighed. "Then I will redouble my efforts on the two of you." He turned to Vernon and Petunia and tapped his wand onto a nearby flower vase, which turned into many sharp sewing needles and thread. He smirked coldly at the two of them and pointed his wand. "Petrificus Totalus!" The Petrifying Spell hit both muggles and their arms and legs snapped together, and they stood like frightened statues. "Some of my followers adore the sounds of screaming, the tortured wails of their victims as their life and soul slowly and agonizingly leaves their body. I, however, could not care either way." The needles and threads levitated and started to make their way towards the two muggles. "Back then the only screams I cared about were the screams of my lover, of my sweet Adrian when we made love. But now he is gone and screams just don't do it for me anymore. So you both can see why I've decided on this course, I hope. It will do us both better, I feel, for the fun that is coming."

Both screamed as the needles pierced their lips, looping the thread in and out quickly, blood barely dripping as the needles and threads made quick work and sewn both mouths shut. The Dursleys gave muffled screams as Uncle Vernon's mouth turned purple and blood drained from Aunt Petunia's face.

"Perfection," Voldemort smiled. "Now to begin with you, dear Petunia. I am a gentleman, after all."

He forced Vernon to the couch, the man struggling against an invisible force as Aunt Petunia floated into the air and hovered into the kitchen, directed by Voldemort's wand. The Dark Lord followed her and turned on all the burners on the stove. A drawer opened and sharp knives flew out, landing on the stove.

Voldemort hummed as the knives started to heat up. "While my son slept, I took the liberty to explore his mind," he said. "I witnessed every lashing, every bruise, every cut and every insult thrown at my sweet child. The fat walrus you call a husband did the majority of it, but I also saw what you did as well Petunia. All of those burns, those blows to his head. You are a horrible woman full of vile and jealousy, aren't you?" Aunt Petunia screamed and muffled, tears falling from her eyes. Voldemort gave a sadistic smirk and left her crying, levitating only a few inches over the ground, her legs and arms still helplessly bound to her sides. He moved to the stove as he talked. "I could simply cut you and your husband up, leave you bleeding till you die, or just simply use the Killing Curse. But there is no satisfaction in that. No real sense of accomplishment. Your sister got a clean, painless death from me. She stood her ground and defended my sweet Harry. It is only right that you suffer for making her sacrifice moot."

He took a knife off the burner to examine it before using his wand to make the flames hotter. He enjoyed watching the woman squirm and cry as she stared at the stove. Under the magical flames, the metal started to glow a searing red. The knives hissed when Voldemort had them leave the stove, floating and pointed at Petunia. "Shall we start with the burns?" he said, and the knives flew at her. She screamed against her sewn mouth, but no incisions ever came. Instead, the knives turned so that the flat sides all pressed against her arms, her legs, neck, and forehead. Skin boiled and peeled around the knives. An ugly smell started to come from Petunia as the knives moved down, nicking, and cutting as they continued to burn. Her pale skin turned red and patchy with blood, crispy in other places as the knives moved around. Large chunks were peeling off and with a wave, the knives returned to the peeling chunks and properly peeled them off. Blood started to bleed, and the Petunia became messy as the knives worked, cutting her clothes off as they burned her.

She was somehow still alive when the whole thing was done. She looked like a monstrous mess of muscles and bleeding veins, large patches of her skin laying on the floor. Voldemort stepped up to her, his nose crinkling at the disgusting smell. "You really are an ugly flower," he said.

He waved his hands violently, and the rest of her skin was ripped off and Petunia fell, dead. The knives all buried themselves into the mess of muscles and Voldemort left the kitchen.

Vernon was exactly where Voldemort left him. Voldemort smiled at the man and said, "The plans I have for you. Years of beating, scarring, and abusing my son. How to properly thank you for all of this? I could scar your own body, leave no trace of your skin unblemished as I brutalize your body. Or perhaps, I would torture your mind, putting you under the stress and despair that you made my innocent child feel, making you feel insignificant, like a bug only to be squashed. Or perhaps I can simply torture you and watch as you are driven insane. So many choices…" The Alpha chuckled. He turned swiftly and plunged his hand into the man's body, their eyes meeting as he pulled out an organ, leaving no damage or holes. It was the man's liver and it burned in Voldemort's hand. "Or perhaps I'll do all three," he whispered.

The needles returned. They moved on their own, stabbing and digging flesh off of Vernon's body as Voldemort aimed his wand at the overweight man. "Crucio!" he screamed. Vernon screamed against the closed mouth, his face turning more and more purple as he fell to the ground. His arms and legs lashed out, folding in unnatural poses as bones crushed and the needles dug deeper. Small drops of blood splattered from the many needles, staining Vernon's skin and the floor around them. Voldemort kept the torturing curse going, waving his free hand. The knives from Petunia's body dislodged themselves and flew towards Vernon, joining the needles as they slashed. Arcs of blood came from them, hitting the ceilings and walls, staining the couch under him. The man's futile attempts to scream ended and he just jolted in a state between consciousness and unconsciousness.

"No Vernon, I want you to live through your suffering, experience every single tiny prick as one by one, your nerves are destroyed and your body ruined," Voldemort said. He stopped the curse only to douse him with cold water from his wand. The man's screams began anew as the cold water shocked his numerous cuts. Blood and other fluids joined together as they bled and oozed out of the body. Voldemort continued the Cruciatus Curse until he has gotten bored, Vernon falling into unconsciousness again a couple of times. With precise movements, he had the knives carve out Vernon's heart before going to the kitchen to clean themselves.

Voldemort examined his handiwork, looking at the two dead Muggles before returning to the kitchen. He placed the knives away himself before returning to the stove whose fire was still going. "Incendio," he muttered, and the fire grew, quickly spreading to areas around the kitchen. He moved his wand and the fire moved with it. The flames reached the mess that was Aunt Petunia, and the sickly odor worsened as it burned. Voldemort left the house, his wand still directing the fire until it reached the stairs and Uncle Vernon. With the whole of the first floor enflamed, Voldemort waited and watched as the fire spread before leaving. He watched as the fire quickly engulfed the house. Neighbors all ran outside to stare in horror, and Voldemort quickly became a part of a small crowd that watched in horror. He pushed away and stopped at the end of the block just as he heard sirens. He spotted platinum blond hair and nodded towards Mr. Malfoy.

"Both the muggles and ministry are unaware of any magic happening here," Mr. Malfoy said. "I made sure that any alarms that would have gone off were silenced."

"Good," Voldemort said. He watched the house burned and smiled. "By any chance, does your wife have petunias in her garden?"

"Why yes, she has a lovely array of colorful petunias near the topiary of a small Hungarian horntail," Mr. Malfoy said.

"Burn them," Voldemort said, his eyes searching the crowd. He smiled broadly when he noticed an old man with long silver hair and beard appear seemingly out of nowhere. He saw the horror in the man's eyes behind half-moon spectacles. "Burn them," he repeated, "and replace them with lilies."

"My Lord," Mr. Malfoy bowed and disappeared.

Voldemort stayed to bask in Dumbledore's horror. A man ran up to Dumbledore. He looked horribly disheveled, wearing torn up old clothes and looking older than he actually was. The man had sandy hair and would look better without the stress lines that marked his face. Voldemort picked at what he remembered he watched when he monitored Harry's memories. This man was Remus Lupin, Sirius Black's Omega. Voldemort inhaled, and a predatory smirk appeared as he breathed in the scent of the omega. "Perhaps he will give me some fun," Voldemort chuckled. He watched as the two disappeared, but he didn't worry. Remus Lupin's scent was in him now, it would be too easy to perform a tracking spell.

Lord Voldemort waited until the fire was dealt with. By the time the last flame was extinguished, the house was a charred skeleton of what it once was. Looking at the burned house made him feel strangely nostalgic and empathetic. The crowds slowly dispersed, and Voldemort disappeared.

A few hours later, Voldemort found himself in front of a gravestone holding a single flower, a white lily. He said no words or gave no thoughts. It just seemed right to the Dark Lord. After all, the two did look after his child for a year, and it was obvious that during that year he was loved and taken care of. He allowed the lily to slip from his hand, gently falling until it rested in front of the tombstone. By the time that it fully stopped, Voldemort was gone.

A/N: So yeah, we're going full in on Voldemort/Remus! And I am very excited for next chapter! Don't forget to give me your thoughts on who Ron's Omega should be, and please leave a review telling me if I did a good job on the Dursley's deaths or if they deserved more.

Toby295: Necklace. It's a necklace, not a necktie. Did I accidently put necktie somewhere? Oops.

Ash0217: I update every Thursday at least! Sometimes on Monday too!

The Lone Penguin: I'm happy you agree with Ron lmao. In this, Ron is a Good Boy.

Love Faith Embers: I'm happy you're enjoying!

Jwstahle: Thank you for reading! I think I might soon be far enough that I can update twice a week but don't quote me on that.

Janessa Wolf-Soul: If they had time, I mean yeah by Chapter 11 I am sure that Draco would finally get the courage to do it but because of the world happening, Draco is more worried about protecting Harry than taking the proper time. But don't worry, they'll still grow into the relationship and figure out where they stand.

WereBunny87: Thanks! I'm happy you're enjoying!

Mizzrazz72: Possibly, or Voldemort will kill Viktor. Or something else entirely will happen.

Noir kumo: As he said, he's freaking out internally but he's more importantly a good Friend, and maybe the only Gryffindor friend Harry will have for a while… and I wonder: do you hate Ginny now?

AnnaMerteuil: Ron is a good boy! That is why he was my husband when I first watched the movies and read the books.

Rori Potter: The war will change, but how will Dumbledore react when he notices his Potter isn't his?

The Wolf's Knight: How I class everyone: It is mostly gut instinct. Like I think of a character and go "She's an Alpha" or "He's an Omega." But mostly I figure it would be evened out like 50% Beta, 25% Alpha, 25% Omega. Or maybe thirds to make it even more even. So yeah you do have a bit of free reign if you want.