Harry was shopping in Diagon Alley when an accented voice called out "Harry?"
Harry turned in surprise. "Viktor?" he asked. "What are you doing here?"
"I got a job at Gringotts, was transferred here to Britain," he explained.
"But why'd you quit flying?" Harry asked the former World Cup Seeker.
"It stopped being fun and became a job, a chore. I got out," Viktor explained. "What about you? You could fly for England, I remember your talent."
Harry cupped his currently empty womb. "I've been pregnant too often to fly."
"You have children?" Viktor asked interestedly.
"A dozen, actually."
Viktor swore in Bulgarian.
Harry had lots of fun catching up with his fellow Triwizard Champion. He even invited Viktor to the Kiln to see his babies. Viktor shook Cory's hand and admired the other 11. After leaving the nursery, Viktor cleared his throat. "Is Hermione seeing anyone?"
Harry winced. "She's dating my cousin. Seven months almost. Sorry, man."
"It's okay, so long as he makes her happy." But he looked sad.
At that moment, Marie-Claire LaFortier came through the Floo. "Ah, alors," she said, sweeping the ash from her dress. She turned and saw Harry with Viktor. "Ah, Harry, who is this?"
"Viktor Krum. Who might you be?" Viktor asked, wide-eyed like he was seeing an angel.
"Marie-Claire LaFortier. I am Harry's sister-in-law," she said back, blushing.
Now, he could be wrong, but Harry thought he might be witnessing the beginnings of love.
Viktor and Marie-Claire stayed for dinner, mostly talking to each other but making a token comment to Harry now and then. Etienne subtly had Hisoka and Minori check Viktor and relaxed at their thumbs-up. The two besotted strangers said farewell at the Floo, swirling afterwards to their homes. "I think you lot were just blurry shapes to them," Harry chuckled.
"She could do worse," Etienne gave his seal of approval.
Harry's heat cycle picked up at the start of June. Which, assuming it was fertile, meant the next clutch was due mid-February. "Well, at least we won't miss my birthday," Harry shrugged as he ate an all-meat lunch.
His mates could only nod and comfort Harry as best they could.
Harry kept up his job as full-time parent, and it certainly was a job to corral 12 children under 3. If Harry didn't have Dobby or Holly (pregnant since November), he might have lost his mind. The Dominants continued to pursue their own careers. In no time, they were waving their dozen and Indy goodbye as the House-Elves popped them off to the Burrow. Harry sighed. "I don't remember most of it but I miss them so much during my heat."
"Because you love them, nothing wrong with that," Etienne said.
They passed the time until their heat, and then were consumed by lustful instinct, each thrust meant to coax seed to swim into Harry's womb. Harry woke up pregnant and barely able to move. Without even asking, the twins helped him to the toilet. Morgan preempted Harry's question. "Singleton. Just one baby."
"Which means the clutch after this will be decuplets or something," Harry groaned but he was smiling.
They enjoyed their healing bath, passed the predawn hours and then summoned their babies back in time for breakfast.
For Harry's 20th birthday, Etienne had the brilliant idea to take them all to Disneyland Paris. The lines were a hassle, but Harry didn't care, the wait built the anticipation. Most of Harry's mates had never been to an amusement park. They marveled at the rides and food and especially the parade. They stayed late to see the fireworks, and then it was a Portkey back to the Kiln.
At Cory's 3rd birthday, Harry asked Molly if there was a wizarding preschool or primary school. "Sorry, Harry dear, no. Kids are homeschooled until Hogwarts, that's the rule," Molly replied.
Which prompted Harry to order a dozen books on teaching and homeschooling. If Harry had to raise them right, he'd have to teach them right. He'd be both a mum and a tutor. Potty training Cory had gone okay, how hard could it be to teach him his numbers and ABC's?
August, September, October, it was like a cartoon where the pages of the calendar fly off. At 3 months with a singleton, Harry was still remarkably big. He guessed it was Og's. Luna and Ginny AND Hermione all got pregnant. Harry was the witness at Hermione and Dudley's emergency wedding. Harry would have paid good money to be there when the Dursleys found out their precious son had married a witch. Viktor and Marie-Claire maintained an international romance, both of them visiting the other as often as possible. Harry got around to making the barn a play place for the ages, with slides and climbing nets and ball pits. Some of the stuff was meant for when the kids got a bit older, but they'd get there.
For Halloween of 2000, the Potters decided to attend the LaFortier Masquerade Ball. Harry dressed as an angel, casting a small illusion to give himself a halo. His mates had decided to each be a slightly different interpretation of the Devil, perhaps to reflect his own costume. He kissed each of his babies farewell and then Flooed to Chateau LaFortier.
Philippe met them and guided them to the Main Hall. Where there'd been a Christmas tree the last time Harry was there, there was now a massive Jack-o'-lantern. Harry and his mates could have stood up inside it. The smell of spiced pumpkin wafted around the room. Harry grabbed a caramel apple from a passing House-Elf with a tray. He munched on his treat as he and his mates wandered through the party. Some of the costumes were last minute, some clearly took hours of preparation. Harry just finished eating when he saw a man that made him want to throw up. Unfortunately, the man saw him too.
"Interesting choice in costume, Mr. Potter," Severus Snape drawled.
"What are you doing here, Mr. Snape?" Harry fired back.
"I was invited by my friend Sebastian," Snape said, sneer-free but it was in his voice.
"Ah, well enjoy. Excuse me," Harry tried to escape.
"Wait, Mr. Potter. There's something I've been meaning to tell you."
Harry looked at his old Potions Professor. "What is it?"
"Much as it pains me, I want to say thank you," Snape said without any emotion.
"For what?" Harry asked, clueless.
"In defeating the Dark Lord, you released me from a number of obligations I found to be quite troublesome. I've finally been free to pursue my passions rather than forced to deal with children 10 months out of the year. So, again Mr. Potter, I thank you."
Harry nodded. "Happy to help. If that's all…" Harry left before Snape could say another word.
"He fancied your mum," Harry's Legilimens mates revealed.
Harry blinked. "Really? That… I don't know how to deal with that. And my barf reflex is really heightened these days, so don't give me ANY details."
They got back to the party, but the mood was undeniably soured for Harry. Halloween jinx strikes once again. He had them all leave before they even got to see the results of the costume contest. Harry kissed and hugged each of his babies, and tried not to imagine a world where they were Snapes and not Potters. Harry got some warm milk and read in the library for a couple hours to settle himself.
Harry blinked and it was Christmas. They were invited to Chateau LaFortier and the Burrow, and Harry honestly needed to flip a coin to decide which the Potters would go to. The Burrow won. They all, adults, kids, Indy, and House-Elves, Flooed to the Weasley home. Molly greeted them and showed them to the new extension, Molly having beaten Arthur into making the house bigger to house all their in-laws and grandchildren. Thanks to the wonder of magic, they managed to double the number of bedrooms. Cory, the Seasonal Sisters, the Elemental Five, and Les Jumeaux were all crammed into a nursery that also played host to Victoire and Lilac Weasley. Harry and his mates were in a room the size of the closet they'd have had at Chateau LaFortier. But the Burrow had Molly and the Weasleys, so that was a decent trade-off.
At dinner, where the whole family somehow crammed themselves into the dining room and kitchen, some of them having to stand, Ron turned to Harry. "You'll never believe it. I just filed parchmentwork yesterday about bringing back the Triwizard Tournament."
Harry's jaw dropped. "You're kidding. After Cedric died at the last one? Whose bright idea was it to bring it back?!"
"The main argument is there won't be a Dark Lord interfering this time around, knock on wood," Ron shrugged. "If it goes through, it'll be hosted at Beauxbatons next year."
"Scrimgeour must be trying to curry international favor," Arthur shrugged, not much a one for politics.
Harry shook his head and rubbed his bump as he took another bite of Winky's delicious cooking. Molly noticed. "Any feelings about the sex, Harry?" she asked.
"It's definitely Og's, and it feels like a girl. Hope she doesn't get teased about her height growing up," Harry said with crossed fingers.
They had a lovely if cramped Christmas with the Weasley family. Then it was back to their spacious home at the Kiln. Harry played in the snow with his babies and Indy most of January, and come February was on bedrest.
"My kingdom for a telly," Harry moaned as he threw the book he was reading aside, truly bored out of his mind waiting for birth.
Og came on the bed and cuddled him, taking care to avoid Harry's wings, which had fully colored to reflect all five of his mates. "I'm here if you want to just talk."
"Now that you've got your Mastery, what are you going to do with it?" Harry asked, remembering the party they'd thrown to celebrate their tallest mate's accomplishment.
"There's a few businesses that will take me, but I always wanted to teach. Since Professor Vector is still at Hogwarts, I'll just have to market myself as an independent tutor."
"I wouldn't write off Hogwarts. Trelawney and Firenze split the Divination students. Maybe you could work out a similar deal with McGonagall and Vector. Like, you teach years 3-5 and he handles the N.E.W.T. students," Harry suggested.
Og hummed. "Well, I suppose it can't hurt to write a letter asking."
Valentine's Day was a muted affair, given that Harry couldn't leave their room. Still, he got tons of chocolate and gifts that he'd always treasure, of course. A few days later, on the 17th, he felt his big baby ask to come out. He cut himself open and almost tore the incision wider pulling out his part-giant daughter. A quick sniff after dealing with the placenta and drinking the thermos confirmed it. She was Og's, and the giant blood was stronger in her than in her three older blood brothers. Still a Dracken, though.
"Come in and see Nim!" Harry called at the door. His mates came in, including a walking Cory and Seasonal Sisters. Dobby or one of the other elves popped the newborn into the appropriate clothes.
"Nim?" Morgan asked, pulling out the birth certificate.
"Nim Potter, after her great-grandfather. I know there's no such thing as Dracken hybrids but she feels closer to a full giant than Cory. My gut says she's going to be big as Madame Maxime when she hits puberty. Make her godfather Hagrid," Harry told his mates.
"Baby Nim? Sis?" Cory asked.
"Yes, Cory, this is your baby sister Nim. You can kiss her if you want," Harry encouraged.
Cory indeed came over and kissed his newest sibling on the head. He was just too adorable at times. The Seasonal Sisters conferred amongst themselves before Summer, the unofficial leader, said "We love her," like it was up for debate.
"Thank you, girls. That's very kind of you," Harry nodded along with their vote.
Harry got showered and dressed and helped with Nim's first feed. Then he laid her in her own bassinet in the nursery. Holly, baby elf Aspen safe in the stable, took her vigil to watch all the children.
Harry fell back into his routine the next day. And as always with routine, the days started to blur together. Francois and Gilbert had their first birthday, then the Elemental Five turned 2. The Seasonal Sisters all reached 3 and a couple days later got gussied up and made pretty along with their siblings for the Dracken Ball. Harry met with Elder Titus at the playpen after helping all 13 of his children get settled.
"The ancients surely sent you, Harry. Thirteen Dracken youths, and surely more to come if the trend continues. Tell me, are you on your heat cycle yet?"
"How'd you guess?" Harry sighed. "Two month reprieve, then I started craving meat mid-April. I go on heat at the end of the month.
"Do you need assistance? I could see about getting some unemployed Dominants as nannies," Titus offered.
"No, no, that's fine. I have four House-Elves, and the effect of each one is compounded. I almost miss chores just for something to do besides lounge," Harry joked.
Harry and his mates mingled at the party, then picked up the kids when they started to get bored and went home. People whispered as they passed carrying the babies and guiding the toddlers to follow along. The Potters had a reputation among the Drackens of the world, apparently. Harry sang lullabies to each child until they were all asleep.
Ysabeau and Philippe took the kids for the length of Harry's heat. Morgan dropped the hammer while Harry was on the toilet after waking from the instinct-driven orgy. "Quints again. Sorry, Harry."
"Not your fault… well, sort of your fault," Harry chuckled. He got in the bath and cupped his currently flat tummy. Well, not totally flat. Years of pregnancy cravings and lack of real exercise had given Harry a layer of squishy padding. His mates assured him he was still sexy as hell. Still, Harry would look into pregnancy exercises just to burn off a few calories.
Harry's 21st birthday and Cory's 4th were similarly grand affairs. Harry told his mates he felt unfair that his birthday was always a bonanza while theirs were practically footnotes. They argued that he was the Submissive, the most important person in the family unit, so of course his birthdays were more important. Harry shrugged and went back to enjoying his party. Cory was as tall at 4 as some 7-year-olds, and he seemed quite advanced in terms of milestones. He was talking coherently and everything. Harry got teary-eyed seeing his firstborn thank each person who gave him a gift by name. Where had his little baby gone? Who was this little man in front of him?
Time moved on as it does. The Potters were making preparations for their Halloween party before they knew it. By which they meant ordering the House-Elves what to do. Apparently, House-Elves grew fast. Oak was already walking, talking, and helping with the chores, with Aspen not far behind him. The Kiln was decorated to professional quality. Harry greeted each guest to come through the Floo or Apparate to the front door. They all had a grand old time.
And then Ginny tripped and pushed Harry right into a wall.
Harry could practically feel the pops of his babies' placentas detaching. He didn't think about how he'd expose himself and his mates, he just acted on instinct. He ripped off his shirt, the part that wasn't ruined by his wings coming out. Kneeling on the carpet, Harry tore himself open to give birth. He pulled out his four sons and a daughter, all of them worryingly small but then they were over 2 months premature. He cut the cords and ripped out the placentas. He cried out for his mates, for their hot blood to heal him.
Og had tossed the contents of the punch bowl into the sink and filled it with his blood, his fellow Dominants doing the same. He handed it to a still feral Harry, who drank down the rich red nectar that would fix the damage to his body. He finished and handed the punch bowl back, not wanting to just break it and expose his babies to broken glass. He kneeled to sniff each of his babies, memorizing their scents and the details his Submissive Dracken nose picked up. Then, his rational mind returning to him, he looked up at his horrified guests. "Sorry you had to see that," Harry said casually.
Dudley looked liable to faint from seeing the live surgery. Most of the older Weasleys looked surprised but not alarmed. Remus nodded as if he'd suspected all along. Ron looked disgusted, but maybe that was from all the blood. Everyone who'd already known still looked a bit shocked to be confronted with Harry's Dracken nature so violently.
Harry sighed and called for Dobby. "Clean and clothe the babies, please, Dobby." The House-Elf faithfully did so. Harry handed the newborns to their fathers. "Halloween is the day of the dead, so we'll name them after the fallen. Hisoka, Minori, meet James and Sirius Potter. Og, here's Cedric Potter. Etienne, Lily Potter. And Morgan, you can have Tom."
The Dominants all cradled their newest children. Morgan looked a bit confused. "Who do you know named 'Tom' who died?"
"A very lonely boy who went down a dark path," Harry said solemnly. "Let's hope his namesake does better when he's raised surrounded by love instead of in a cold, poor orphanage."
Ron dropped his jaw. "Harry, you're naming a son after Vol- You-Know-Who? Did that bump to the wall get your head?"
"My family, my children, my choice in names. What're you going to name your next kid? Azalea?" Harry fired back, a bit testy given the massive blood loss and the brief moment he thought his babies were drowning inside him.
"That actually was on my list," Lavender admitted to Ron.
"So, in case it wasn't painfully obvious after my emergency birth, I'm a Dracken. All the Potters are Drackens. And I'd appreciate you all keeping your mouths shut regarding our species. I'd much prefer not to flee the country or fight off a team of poachers after my wing scales," Harry gave as a public announcement.
Everyone nodded along, promising to keep the secret. But Harry knew this had been a major blow to the safety of the family. So many people, the odds of just one having loose lips was all but certain.
The Fallen Five began to whine for their first feeds. Dobby popped bottles into his husbands' hands and they gave the babies their first meal. Kreacher had gotten the bloodstains out of the carpet already. Maple popped next to Harry and gave him a Blood Replenisher. And Holly gave him a sandwich so he could recover his energy. Merlin bless House-Elves.
Harry spent the rest of the party with his children in the playpen, just to be surrounded by youthful innocence and good cheer. Luckily, they hadn't seen the birth or else the older ones would be traumatized. Harry played games and recovered from his mood souring from his almost miscarriage. He got up to play a good host in waving every one of his guests goodbye.
They put the new quints in the nursery, and then took a long shower to relax and unwind. "They were supposed to be born in January. What if there's complications?" Harry worried.
"They were in the viable range. They'll have to do all the growing they would have done in the womb out here, but they'll be perfectly fine," Morgan reassured him.
And so it was. As the weeks went by, Harry watched the Fallen Five like a hawk, but they all seemed completely healthy but for their small size. Cory, amusingly, gave a lecture to the Seasonal Sisters and Elemental Five to be gentle with the babies. Harry gave his little man cuddles and tickles for that.
They got invited to Chateau LaFortier for Christmas. Harry agreed mostly because Ysabeau and Philippe were the only ones that had the resources to host 18 children, 6 adults, and a dog. They gathered outside the front door and held hands like a line of ducklings before Etienne activated the Portkey. The older kids oohed and aahed at the Christmas tree. Philippe came down the stairs towards them. "I always forget how big they're all getting," he commented as he approached and hugged his firstborn.
"Hi, Grandpa Philippe," Cory said, grinning adorably.
"Hello there, little Cory. Not so little though. You're big as a giant! You should be the one picking me up!" Philippe said, scooping Cory up in his arms.
"No!" Cory protested.
"Bonjour, Grand-pere," Summer said in perfect French, speaking for her other 3 sisters as per usual.
"Bonjour, Summer, Autumn, Fuyu, Haruhi. You're the most gorgeous girls I've ever seen!" Philippe said, putting Cory back on his feet.
"Yes, we are!" Fuyu said smugly. Her sisters burst into giggles.
Philippe said hello to all 18 of the children, then looked at Harry with sympathy. "Almost 20 under 5. Merlin be with you."
"I don't want to jinx it, but I feel that the emergency birth really damaged my womb. I don't think I'll go on my cycle until at least summer," Harry confessed.
"Well, the LaFortiers will always be ready to help the Potters. Come, let's all go to the Main Living Room."
Philippe led them through the maze of the gigantic house to where most of the extended family invited for the holidays were passing time. The Potters drew lots of eyes on their way to the playpen, passing custody of their brood over to the intimidated-looking House-Elf.
"They're not ALL yours, are they?" asked one of Etienne's aunts.
"Well, they all came out of me, so pretty sure they are," Harry said back after giving the Fallen Five a last kiss on their brows before climbing out of the playpen.
"Mon Dieu," she breathed.
Harry and his mates claimed a sofa and settled in to mingle with the others. A 9-year-old girl ran up to Harry. "Harry Potter! You recognize me?"
"How could I forget? How are you, Bluebell?" Harry asked, smiling.
The little girl launched into a long story about all her friends and her lessons with her tutor and the vacations her parents had taken her on since that Christmas 4 years ago. Harry nodded along and commented as necessary. Then Bluebell was called by her mother and she bid a hasty retreat, waving goodbye before she went off.
"Remind me how I'm related to her, again," Harry asked.
"She's your husband's aunt's granddaughter," Etienne answered. "Why?"
"No reason, just curious," Harry shrugged.
"Mummy!" Cory called out front the corner.
It didn't sound urgent so Harry walked sedately over to the playpen. "Yes, Cory, what is it?"
"Can I have Ryu?" Cory asked, referencing the person-sized stuffed dragon Molly had made him.
"Okay. Dobby, can you pop Ryu here, please?" With a dash of House-Elf magic, the big red dragon toy had appeared in the playpen. The other kids gaped at it.
"Told you I had a dragon!" Cory said at another 4-year-old.
"It's not a real dragon," the kids said, shaking his head.
Mentally reviewing all his Charms knowledge, Harry waved his hand. Suddenly Ryu was moving, standing up and coming over to Cory. The animated toy licked Cory's face with his cloth tongue, making Harry's oldest giggle.
"Seems like a real dragon to me," Harry told the other kid. He stomped his foot and walked away.
"Mummy, you made Ryu alive!" Cory marveled.
"Only for a few hours. And don't try showing off to other kids again. It's not nice."
"Sorry, Mummy."
"It's okay, you said sorry. I'm going back to your Daddies now. Have fun." With a hug, Harry returned to the sofa his mates had claimed.
"Remind me what your Charms N.E.W.T. was?" Morgan asked.
"I managed an O. Why?"
"Nothing, just substitutiary locomotion is one of the harder acts of charmwork to pull off," Morgan shrugged. "And you did it without your wand."
"I'm powerful, remember? That's why I needed so many mates just to get pregnant," Harry reminded.
"So did the kids inherit that power?" Hisoka and Minori mused.
"According to Luna, Aqua's a Submissive who'll have even more mates than me. That could be an indicator."
They chatted with each other and Etienne's family until lunch. Then it was the circus of leading or carrying all 18 kids to the Dining Room. Indy helped to keep them all in line, herding them not unlike sheep. They sat down at the table and helped themselves to the feast laid out. After the meal, they went to their rooms to unpack. The Heir's Bedroom had a second bedroom, which the LaFortier House-Elves had managed to squeeze enough bassinets, cribs, and kid beds to fit all the children into. They all unpacked, the older 10 having their own little suitcases their parents had shrunk and stored in their pockets.
Christmas was as much a blast as it had been 4 years ago. Harry had decided not to teach the kids about Santa, figuring he was a Muggle figure, so all the presents came from their parents. And they'd restricted themselves to 5 or less per person, just to avoid needing a forklift to carry all their gifts. As it was, they still needed help from the House-Elves to carry everything back to the Kiln at the end of the holiday.
Mid-January, Luna Flooed in with her and Neville's son Solomon, nicknamed 'Sol' to match his mother. After the hellos were handled and little Solomon joined the kids, Luna got straight to the point. "I want to do an anonymous interview with a Dracken, show the world that you're people just like us. Interested?"
How could Harry say no to that? With care not to mention his name or give any hints as to his real identity, Harry answered Luna's questions about what it was like to be a Dracken in Magical Britain. The confusion of waking up with his creature inheritance, the ceremony of the mating meetings, the fear of persecution just for being what he was, the struggle to raise so many children so young. He and Luna reviewed it just to make sure it was danger-proof to the Potters or the greater Dracken community. Luna nodded and said it would run in February or March, they had a big article on Crumple-Horned Snorkacks all lined up. Harry nodded and waved Luna and Sol goodbye.
Etienne finished his apprenticeship and opened his own wand shop on Diagon Alley. As opposed to Ollivander's mass-produced approach, a Potter wand was custom-made to the customer, and included a focusing crystal as well as a magical core and the wood. Og's application to split classes with Vector was denied, citing no room in the budget to afford another Professor. Disappointed but not too surprised, Og worked with Etienne to connect him to members of the LaFortier extended family who needed help with Arithmancy. Hisoka and Minori did something at Gringotts, and they weren't telling, but they pulled in a lot of gold and had great benefits, so Harry was content not to know specifics. Morgan was still Senior Healer at St. Mungo's. Even with his very public marriage to Harry, his obscene good looks still got him hit on by half the patients and some of the staff.
Ginny, despite her pregnancy forcing her to be benched for a few months, was soon 1st-line Chaser for the Holyhead Harpies. Draco got into politics much like his father, though he was far more progressive than his father had ever been. Hermione worked until she was working right under the Department head for the DRCMC. Her ideas were considered radical, but they were all backed by logical argument and historic precedent. Neville got his Herbology Mastery and worked in a research greenhouse until such time as Professor Sprout felt like retiring. Ron maintained a mid-tier job in the Department of Magical Games and Sports, not too lazy to get fired but not ambitious enough to get promoted. Luna got syndicated.
As the months passed, celebrating his babies' milestones and birthdays, Harry reflected that life was pretty damn good. And when he craved meat on his 22nd birthday, he knew that his joy would only grow with each new bundle of joy brought into his life.
THE END
Epilogue
Cory looked at himself shirtless in the mirror. He had a decent amount of muscle, the result of active play time in the barn and his Quidditch training at Hogwarts (Keeper for Gryffindor since Second Year). Nothing like his father, but then his dad was a Dominant Dracken. And so would Cory be in the morning, probably. It was the eve of his 16th birthday.
There was a knock on his door. "Cory? Can Indy and I come in?" asked his Mum.
"Sure," Cory called, putting on a shirt and sitting down on his bed. The half-Crup came in the room first, jumping on his bed with him. Cory was glad her magical blood let her live longer than ordinary dogs; he couldn't imagine his family without Indy. Then Mum came in, round with his fifth month of pregnancy for the latest clutch. Triplets, for the record.
Cory had always admired his Mum. He always seemed so calm even when the whole family was spiraling into chaos. And even though Cory towered over his 5'5 height at 7' even, all it took was a look from his Mum to make Cory feel two inches tall. Plus Cory heard how Submissive male Drackens gave birth. His Mum had guts to cut open his guts for every pregnancy.
"You seemed nervous at dinner. Is it the anticipation?" Mum asked, making himself at home on Cory's bed beside Indy.
"I just… don't know what to expect," Cory tried to play off.
"You know what your tell is? You always tap your feet together when you lie," Mum grinned.
Cory blushed. "Okay, I'm scared. Terrified, really. What if Dad's giant blood interferes with the inheritance? What if something goes wrong?"
"Oh, come here, little man," Mum cooed, pulling Cory into a hug. Cory was too old for hugs, or so he told himself, but just this once he'd allow the feeling of pillowy comfort that was his mother's embrace. "Do you want to hear what it was like for me, waking up a Dracken?"
"Sure," Cory agreed. Maybe having another Dracken's perspective would calm him down.
"Well, when you wake up, the first thing you'll notice is the heightened senses. I used to wear glasses so I noticed the vision first. But hearing and smell and even touch and taste are enhanced too."
"Okay," Cory said, memorizing the first step in the process.
"Next, you'll get to a mirror and see your Dracken form. The first thing I noticed was the scales, blinding white, covering my torso and arms and face. Then I saw the alterations made to my human body: the wider hips, the long hair, the spankable ass."
"Mum!" Cory whined at hearing the word 'spankable' applied to any part of his mother's body.
He chuckled wickedly. "On the off chance you're a Submissive, you'll be getting one too, young man. But I'd bet every Galleon in my and Daddy Etienne's family vaults that you're a Dominant. It's not just a size thing, it's down to character. You're a born leader, Alpha of the pack. And since you're taller than Daddy Og was when his inheritance came in, you're set to become almost as tall as Nim."
Cory nodded, feeling like he should be writing this all down. "What happens afterward, though? What's my life as a Dracken going to look like?"
"Again, if you're Submissive, it's straight off to the Dracken Halls for your claiming meeting. If you're a Dominant, you'll finish off your N.E.W.T. years at Hogwarts, get a nice job, and start going to claiming meetings with the hope the Submissive picks you out of the bunch. It might take a while, and you shouldn't go with Submissives who just want you for your size. But eventually you'll be picked by the right Submissive, and you'll join him or her and their other Dominants in starting a family just like this one," Mum explained.
Cory nodded. "Okay. I feel a little better."
Mum pulled him into another hug. "I remember holding you for the first time. I just knew you were destined for great things. Your inheritance isn't something to be scared of; you've been waiting your whole life for it, one way or another. And if you're ever confused or scared or don't know what to do, your Daddies and I will always be here."
Cory squeezed his Mum extra tight. "All that is good in me started with you," he said solemnly.
Mum sniffed. "Great, now I'm crying. Damn hormones."
Cory waved his Mum and Indy out of his room. Then, stripping nude (his growth spurt would break any clothes he wore), he got in bed and closed his eyes, trying to relax every muscle in his body.
When he woke, he smelled everything. Dear Merlin, did his dirty socks really smell THAT bad? He could smell Indy's fur on his bedsheets and the lingering traces of his mother's natural scent on the air. Cory got out of bed and almost tripped. He'd always seen the world from a higher perspective than normal, but he had easily grown half a foot overnight. He looked in her mirror, looking at his new body.
Acid green scales that brought out the eyes he'd inherited from his mother covered his torso, arms, and face, just like Mum had said. Then Cory noticed other things. He was ripped. He looked like a statue of Hercules. His fingernails had turned into claws, sharp enough to cut through flesh like clingfilm. Cory just had to think 'wings' and then he was biting his lip to keep from screaming. When he was over the pain, he admired his wings. He had a wingspan of at least 30 feet, the edges of them almost touching the walls of his room.
There was a knock at the door, interrupting Cory staring at his new body. "Master Cory, Master Harry wants you in the kitchen," Dobby said through the door.
"Tell him I'm coming," Cory responded. Working out through trial and error how to take human form again, Cory put on clothes, which felt tight and small with all his new muscle and height. Cory went out his door and made it to the kitchen without running into another member of his family. He wondered at that before he was ambushed entering the kitchen.
"SURPRISE!"
Mum, his Dads, and all of his siblings who could stand up were smooshed into the kitchen, beneath a banner emblazoned with 'CONGRATULATIONS!'. Cory grinned, touched at how much time it must have taken to corral all the kids into the kitchen and be quiet. Mum walked up to him with a cupcake with a candle through it. "Happy birthday, Cory," he said, pulling Cory down to kiss his cheek.
"Thanks, Mum," Cory accepted the kiss and cupcake with a blush.
"You're almost as tall as me!" his little sister Nim, who had stronger giant blood, remarked. At 8'1, she was the world's tallest 12-year-old.
"7'7 to be exact. Which means he beat your Daddy Og," Daddy Morgan said after scanning Cory. He accepted a Galleon from Etienne, making Cory chuckle.
Daddy Og walked up to Cory and embraced him. "I'm so proud of you, son."
Cory would deny he shed a tear.
And then he was attacked by a tsunami of his younger siblings, all wanting to congratulate him on his inheritance. His school friends didn't believe him, but Cory remembered the names of all 41 of his siblings. He might get the identicals mixed up but he had them all memorized. The toddlers didn't know what today was, just caught up in the excitement, and the babies just ate, slept, and shit.
Breakfast was served at the extended dining table in their expanded dining room, food enough for their little Potter army of Drackens prepared by their dozen House-Elves. Kreacher had passed, sadly, but his sons and daughters carried on his legacy. Cory, sat next to his dad, had a whispered conversation with him.
"Um, Dad?"
"Yes, Cory?"
"My, er, pecker got bigger too. And I was already above average. How do I not hurt my Submissive?"
Daddy Og didn't even blink. "Muscle relaxant lube, 15 minutes of prep, and he or she will stretch to take you with time. And when you're on heat, magic will heal any injuries."
"Thanks, Dad."
"No problem, Cory."
"And, um, what if I'm not top-Dominant? How do you…" Cory couldn't even say it.
"Relaxing and just letting it happen works for me," Daddy Og shrugged. "There's toys you can but to practice."
"I thought I wasn't allowed into those kinds of stores."
"You're 16 now. You're free to explore your sexuality however you want."
They finished eating and they all passed the time until the party at 1. The whole family was set to come. Including Victoire Weasley, who Cory admittedly had a bit of a crush on. He rationalized they had no blood relation so it was fine. And she already knew he was a Dracken, so that secret was out of the way.
Around 12:45, Grandma Molly and Grandpa Arthur came through the Floo. Cory always thought Mum took lessons in mothering from Molly, except when it came to scolding. Grandma yelled loud enough to shake dust from the rafters. Mum would just sigh and say "I'm so disappointed in you." Cory wasn't sure which hit harder. Grandma Molly pulled Cory down into a kiss, said 'Happy birthday!', and then was stolen by the little children of the family. Grandpa Arthur looked around then passed him a nip of Ogden's Firewhisky. "Don't tell," Grandpa winked before addressing the kids demanding his attention. Cory slid the gift into his pocket with a smile.
The party was set up outside. A ball pit, a creche, a bouncy castle, and a giant inflatable slide were set up to amuse those under Hogwarts age… or any adult interested. Then there were the tables set up with food and drink enough for 100 people, which they just might exceed. Cory honestly needed to check the Potter Family tree hung up in the library just to count all his first cousins alone.
Uncle Dudley was the only Muggle in attendance, not that anyone cared. He embraced Mum like a brother before holding hands with Aunt Hermione. Uncle Ron and Aunt Lavender were as annoying as usual, with their annoying kids, too. Uncles Fred and George had discovered Muggle Legos a couple years back and made a copy of Hogwarts as their gift. Cory didn't know whether to smash it or preserve it. Aunt Marie-Claire and Uncle Viktor got him the latest broom, just a few years newer than the model he already had. But he'd happily trade up and hand down his old broom down to a sibling.
And Victoire pulled him into the barn and gave him a birthday blowjob. Cory wondered if that counted as losing his virginity, it felt so good. He only hoped Uncle Bill never found out or he'd castrate Cory without magic.
The party ran until sundown, then it was time for cake and unwrapping of presents. The cake was the size of a wedding cake, big enough everyone could have a slice. Even Indy had a rawhide to celebrate. Afterwards, it was waving everyone goodbye and then it was bath and bedtime, a nightly production. Cory shamelessly took advantage of his own private shower and then got ready for bed. All told, he mused, it had been a pretty good birthday.