Author's Note:
I love you guys. Your love for this story has me like... WEE.
I wanted to do the ABO a bit different than we're used to seeing, but I'm literally pulling it... from thin air, ahem.
So, I hope you continue loving it, and leaving feedback for your favorite parts, or asking questions and such! You rock!
Enjoy :)
Harry retreated to his private room after retreating to the dormitories that had been created for the students returning for their seventh year after the war. There were only seven of them, a small number, but the war had killed many, and of those left, few had any desire to return to Hogwarts as young adults.
From Gryffindor, only Hermione, Neville, and himself had returned. That had been a bit shocking, as the group was so active during the war, but Harry didn't blame them for wanting to move on with life. From Ravenclaw, only Padma Patil had returned. Her twin, Pavarti, could not be convinced to continue after losing Lavender in these halls during the battle. The remainder were from Slytherin house, and that had surprised Harry, at first.
Seeing Draco Malfoy, Theodore Nott, and Pansy Parkinson in the common room that connected the dorms to each other had become commonplace, and over the past few months, tentative friendships had been formed. Harry found he actually had a lot in common with Draco, despite their history as enemies. They each were young boys forced into situations they didn't deserve to be in, doing anything to survive and save the people they cared about.
Harry plopped heavily into the middle of his bed, flicking his wand to send a colloportus at the door, ensuring he wouldn't be disturbed without opening it on his own. Hermione had a tendency to just walk right in, and he knew after living in a tent with her for nearly a year, she'd seen all there was to see anyway, so he learned to lock the door when he needed more privacy.
Cracking open the old tome was nervewracking, what exactly was he going to find in this book that could explain being an Alpha? Why was this so secretive? And what was the third category, Remus hadn't gotten to that?
Harry didn't emerge from his room until the next morning, stumbling wild-eyed into the common room in just his pajama pants. Neville and Draco were sitting in front of the fire, each holding cups of tea as they conversed quietly. Even more surprising than Draco and Harry's friendship was the closeness between Neville and Draco.
Harry dropped dramatically onto the carpet in front of the fire and sunk his head into his hands with a loud moan.
"Mate," Neville said, "What the hell is wrong with you?"
"I stayed up all night reading." Harry groaned.
"Wait," Draco laughed, "Is this another polyjuice thing like you did second year? Is that Hermione in that body?"
"Very funny, you sod," Harry said. "No. I'm Harry, and I stayed up reading and I have more questions than I started with and I have no idea what to do because all my family is dead!" Harry hadn't realized he was nearly yelling.
"Harry," Neville said gently, "What's going on?"
"I'm not sure," Harry responded. "All this... hierarchy bullshit. Remus told me some, and he gave me a book, but it isn't going to help me at all because he's not a Potter and he will barely talk about it anyway because he said it's private and I can't talk to Hermione about it, and she would only go to the library anyway, where she already is." He sighed heavily, defeated.
Draco cleared his throat. "The hierarchy... Potter, people don't really talk about it because their families tell them everything they need to know as children."
"Right," Neville interrupted. "My parents weren't able to tell me, so I learned it from my Gran. But... maybe we can help you" he gestured to Draco and himself.
Harry was startled by their openness. Remus had made this seem so secretive.
"You would?" Harry asked.
"Well," Draco said, "We can tell you about ourselves or our families but we won't be able to help you with Potter specific family inheritance traits. Most hierarchy traits are the same anyway."
"Do you..." Harry trailed off, not sure if he should actually ask either of them if they had their own inheritance.
"Do we have an inheritance?" Draco picked up that Harry was feeling uncomfortable and took over the conversation. "We do."
Harry looked back and forth between Neville and Draco, were they so close that they talked about things like this?
Neville laughed, "We haven't talked about it, but as you gain your blessings and meet your partner, you'll begin to see the traits in others. I already knew you were receiving the blessing, I just assumed you knew as well. That's how Draco knew I'd received the blessing as well - he's met his partner too."
"When you start recognizing others with the blessings, you'll be able to tell if they are Alpha or Omega, but until you meet your partner, you won't be able to tell the difference, except for physical changes that Alpha's undergo." Draco explained, "But, once you bond with your partner, it'll open the blessing completely and you'll be able to see Alpha, Omega, and Beta traits, smells, looks, everything. It's wild at first, but you get used to it."
Harry groaned loudly, again. "Remus' book didn't describe any of that."
"Let me guess," Draco asked with a smirk, "It was like reading porn with only a few helpful bits throughout?"
Harry only answered with another groan.
"Yeah," Neville chuckled. "That's how the Longbottom book is too. I haven't even contributed to it, because I think I want to burn it and start over."
"The Malfoy book too," Draco said, "And reading about my father's bond with my mother..." Draco mocked vomiting and Neville barked out a laugh.
"The best way to learn it is to just talk with people who are going through it. You're an Alpha, so you need to find an Alpha who will openly talk to you. If Professor Lupin won't, then find someone else." Neville said.
"Are you..." Harry asked.
"An Alpha?" Neville responded, "Yeah. So is Draco."
Draco nodded quietly. "Potter, why is all this just coming up now, did something happen?" he asked.
Harry answered in a soft voice, still feeling a bit unsure. "There as an incident."
Draco and Neville waited for Harry to continue. When he didn't, Draco pushed with more questioning. "With who? What happened?"
"Hermione." Harry said meekly, "I told her to leave the library and she did."
Neville choked on the tea he'd just sipped, and Draco guffawed loudly.
"Holy hell, Potter!" Draco gasped, laughing.
"We knew she was an Omega." Neville said, "God she's been driving us mad with the damn smell, you know... Even having our hierarchy partners, the smell of an Omega in heat can be overwhelming. I wondered if you were her partner, once we noticed your Alpha traits kicking in."
"How do you know if someone is your partner?" Harry asked.
"Bloody hell, Lupin's book must be shit if it didn't even have that in it." Draco drawled. "Potter, you can only use that Alpha trait, the persuasion, on your Omega.