8th September 1997- Monday

Harry, alike every other sane person in the world, hated mornings, Monday mornings in particular. It was criminal to want to wake up, especially when it meant he would have to soon face the stares and whispers that followed him in the hallways, both aimed at his Creature status and at Harry Potter, heir of two Ancient Houses.

Which was why, despite the fact that his Charms lesson began in just fifteen minutes, he was still in bed, much to the chagrin of his mates. He cracked his eyes open grudgingly when he once again felt the nervous and irritated presence of Blaise hovering over him, grunting up at his mate who looked seconds away from snapping. "Harry, please, we're going to be late!" Blaise begged, and Harry allowed a few seconds for the words to sink in, before he grumbled and snuggled further into the warmth of the covers, closing his eyes again.

"Just leave me behind, I'm not stopping you."

Blaise clicked his tongue. "I don't have the time for this, up!" Unexpectedly, he threw the cover- large enough to cover all five of them easily- to the end of the bed, and Harry scrunched up, shouting at the offence. The cold air attacked him brutally, and goosebumps pimpled his skin seconds after the sudden exposure.

"Hey!" Harry groaned, squinting his eyes up at his mate, who stood at the side of the bed with his hands on his hips, eyebrows drawn together in impatience.

"Get dressed, we only have fourteen minutes! I will not start off this year with a detention!" Blaise then darted out of the room, and rustling could be heard in the living room, along with murmured voices.

With a huff, he pushed himself up and stared around their room with bleary eyes. The dominant colour- dark blue, so that there were no arguments about whether it should be red or green- was easy on his eyes, and the bed canopy blocked out the worst of the sunshine coming in through the open windows. Harry clambered out of the high bed with a sigh, shuffling to the edge and dropping off the last few inches. Apparently, a higher-than-average bed was a necessity for them- he, Elian, Blaise and Draco were all Creatures descended from Creatures who had originally lived in high places, so it was reasonable to suggest that they felt safer sleeping in an elevated area.

If Harry was being honest, he couldn't tell that there was a difference.

Shuffling around the room, it took him less than four minutes to get ready- one of those minutes spent sitting on the edge of his bed, reorientating himself to the wakeful world- and once done, hurried out of the room, receiving his bag to his chest the moment he entered the living room.

"Don't forget your shoes!" Blaise was already heading out of the door by the time he registered his surroundings- three amused mates sitting on the sofa, a small assortment of breakfast items covering the table in front of them- and Harry scrambled for his shoes, not bothering to tie them in his haste. He grabbed a croissant as he passed the table, and hastened after his mate.

"Wait up!"

Despite Harry's protest that he was 'quite capable of finding Draco by himself, thanks', Blaise still followed him to the dungeons, guiding him to his Potions class for his own peace of mind, waving goodbye once his other mate was in sight. Harry rolled his eyes as the pair exchanged glances, and Draco swung his arm over his shoulders, an uncommon gesture that the other was beginning to grow more comfortable with, despite his protests that it was too 'casual'.

"How was your Charms lesson? Did you get there in time?"

"Fine, we got in with a couple of minutes to spare, but Flitwick didn't even start the lesson for another five."

"Blaise is very serious about education, you know he wants to get the best results, and the best job possible." Draco grinned. "He used to drag me out of the bathroom to get to lessons on time, not that I was ever purposefully late, of course."

Dead on time, the door to their classroom swung open, and Snape leered in the doorway, almost sneering down at them even though the majority of the class was the same height or even taller than the man. "Come in. Sit down- quietly!- and don't touch anything until I say to do so." He turned, robe swishing dramatically behind him, and stood at the front, watching intently as they entered, beginning the lesson as soon as the last person took their seat.

Snape, as usual, ignored his existence, which Harry was grateful for. He was also grateful for his mate's prowess in the art of potion making, since he was decidedly, painfully average at it, even accident-prone at times.

"Crush it, don't chop it!" Draco grabbed his wrist as he began to slice the ingredient on the chopping board.

Harry frowned in confusion. "But the board says chop it?"

"Trust me on this, I know what I'm doing. Tom let me look through his notebooks on potions, and I trust that anything he has in there is the correct way of doing things. Apparently, it's supposed to make the end result more potent."

Harry gave him a look, before twisting the knife around to press the flat side on the ingredient. "If you say so-"

"Potter, what are you doing?" A drawl from the side startled him, and he turned to face Snape, who was sneering nastily at him. "Does the board say to crush it, you insipid fool?"

Harry's jaw worked, ears turning hot and red at the scrutiny. "Draco-"

Draco cut in, slightly pushing in front of him to shield him from Snape's harsh stare. "I told him to, Professor. Our mate, Thomas Slytherin, told me that this is the more effective way of preparing this ingredient."

Snape's lip curled. "Oh, yes, your mate. Well, carry on then, if it has been approved by him." He turned dramatically, marching instead towards another table to criticise them for their 'horrific attempt at potion making, you'll never pass your final exams with such subpar talent.'

Harry huffed, turning to face Draco with a hardened expression. "Stupid bat."

"Careful, you don't want to be getting a detention."

"Detention, Mr Boot, Mr Goldstein!"

They jumped at Snape's harsh, spitting tone, turning around to spot a shamefaced Boot and Goldstein, several steps away from their overflowing cauldron which was filled with an orange-coloured gloop when they were supposed to achieve a blue.

"How imbecilic, there are clear instructions on the board, it takes an idiot to accomplish what you have! Clean it out, and don't think to start again, you will be receiving an automatic fail for this potion. I expect you back here at 7 pm sharp." He spat, hovering over the pair of them, looking furious. Boot's expression was darkening, the scales surrounding his eyes becoming a darker red and more pronounced, a slight, menacing growl beginning to rumble within his chest. Goldstein by his side took a step back, wary, but it only seemed to rile up Snape further. "Look at you, going feral over some criticising, how pathetic. I've told Dumbledore again and again that it is dangerous to have your kind in here, any Creatures are a threat, but the fool doesn't listen, and I have to deal with-"

"Shut up!"

"Boot!" Draco was gone from his side in a flash, intercepting Boot's lunge at Snape, who stumbled backwards, slightly pale, a disgusted and furious expression on his face.

"You don't understand anything, Snape! Who are you to judge us, you, who rots away here in this dungeon, bullying children-"

"How dare you, vile, filthy-"

Draco's wings flared, gasps filling the room, as he pushed Boot back, restraining him against the wall. "Boot, listen to me-"

"Let me go, Malfoy-!"

"Listen to me!" He hissed, and Harry sat upright. That, what was that? It sounded foreign to his ears, yet he could perfectly understand it. "Go back to your rooms, calm down, and inform whoever you must. Don't argue with him, it will not bode well for you. There is less than a year left, this will be a small blip in your life, let it go!"

In his arms, Boot seemed to deflate, and Draco's wings tucked themselves back under his robe as well, both of them ignoring the threats Snape was still sending Boot's way. He gave Draco a nod, before turning on his heel and storming out the door, slamming it behind him.

"Boot, how dare- Malfoy! What did you say to him?" Snape turned his dark eyes on Draco, looking ruffled.

"I told him to head to his dorms and cool off, professor. If I hadn't, things could have gotten violent."

Snape practically snarled. "He lunged at me-" He stopped, looking around the room then, taking in all the eyes fixed on him and his every move, emotions bare to see on his face. "I will be seeing the headmaster about this incident." He raised his wand, and a slight wave rippled over each of the potions. "Class is dismissed."

He stormed out of the classroom, the entire class falling into silence, before the whispers began, sly and assessing looks sent Draco's way as he made his way back to Harry, setting them both on edge despite the fact that the remainder of the class wasn't Creatures.

"What was that?" Harry whispered into Draco's ear as he came to stand by his side, eyeing his shifting form.

"Boot obviously got a little riled, and I reacted on instinct, more to calm him down before he could cause potential harm in the vicinity of you if nothing else. That was... Snape seemed..." Draco gulped, and Harry knew he was taking Snape's derogatory view of Creature hard, the man being a close family friend. Even Harry felt put off- his mum had told him that she and Snape used to be good friends when they were young until he joined the wrong crowd- so to hear that from the man's mouth was a startling contrast to the boy his mum had fondly reminisced about.

"Let's get back to the rooms, hm?" Harry grabbed the Boread's arm, dragging him out of the classroom whilst ignoring the stares.

"What happened?" Tom was on them as soon as they entered, standing from the desk on the right side of the living room, and Blaise also made an appearance from the kitchen. The sound of the shower suddenly cutting off revealed where Elian was. "You smell distressed."

The sound of the bathroom door slamming open startled them all, Draco and Tom shuffling so that they were in front of him on instinct, and a practically naked Fae charged into the room, dripping water droplets onto the floor and nearly slipping in his haste. "What's the matter?!"

Tom let an irritated huff through his nose and turned back around. "Draco?"

"Snape just had a standoff with Boot, who's a Dragonborn, in our potions lesson-" There was a growl from Blaise's direction. "And Boot got so offended that he lunged at him, so I had to restrain him before a fight could happen. He calmed down with a bit of talking, and he's gone to his room to calm down, but Snape has gone to the headmaster to discuss what happened."

"Snape called us a threat." Harry spat. "Filthy, and vile! No wonder he got upset!"

"He said what?" Tom's words were almost a hiss, and he glided closer to Harry with a glare marring his features. Harry felt his heart skip a beat in fear, but knowing his ire was not actually directed towards him, repeated himself. Tom's expression grew darker. "If you'll excuse me for a moment?"

"Tom?"

He sent Harry a small smile, marred by its barely veiled ruthlessness. "I'm just going to sort something out. Not to worry, Harry. Severus is a Creature himself, after all. What he said is rather hypocritical."

"What...Where are you going?"

"To the headmaster's office, to have a little chat with them both on the actions of a Professor towards his own students." He exited after that, leaving them to stand around, confused.

As a precaution, Dumbledore had given both Tom and Elian the password to his office, which would would depending on whether the Headmaster was present or not. Of course, since the old man trusted Tom as far as he could throw him, and had known Elian for only around a week, the only reason it allowed him up was that the Headmaster was in.

"Cherry Bakewell." He muttered, eyes darting around the corridor to make sure he wasn't being watched, and when the stairs appeared after a few seconds, he began to clamber them with haste. He came to a stop outside of the office door when he heard shouting from behind it.

"-It is disgraceful, Headmaster! Stop insisting that I allow this to pass without severe punishment. He should be expelled-"

"You were a young Creature, prone to violent outbursts once too, Severus."

"He tried to attack me!"

Tom pushed open the door confidently, stepping inside and meeting both men's eyes with a closed expression. Snape looked surprised, straightening up from where he had been aggressively leaning over the desk, his sneer wiped off of his face. Dumbledore looked expectant, having known of his presence and approach- he wouldn't have been able to enter the office otherwise.

"Good afternoon, Headmaster Dumbledore, Professor Snape."

"Tom, my boy, what a surprise to see you!" Dumbledore clasped his hands together, eyes sparkling. "If I may ask, what are you here for? Is there anything I can do for you?"

"As a matter of fact, there is."

Snape shifted. "I will be taking my leave, then-"

"No, this discussion involves you, Snape. After all, it is a conversation about the well-being of the Creature's in this school, which includes you. Are you willing to listen, Dumbledore?"

Dumbledore's blue eyes hardened, and he steepled his fingers, face serious. "Of course, if it is something that will benefit my students, I'm willing to listen."

When Tom arrived back in the rooms later on, he was radiating smugness, and all he could reveal was that Boot was no longer in any trouble and that Snape would no longer be so rash in his words towards the more reactive of his students- mainly, the Creatures.

10th September 1997- Wednesday

When they walked into Creature studies on Wednesday, it was to the sight of an empty classroom, barring the woman at the front of the room. She had bright red hair, probably dyed, and soft brown eyes with muted yellow scales surrounding them and brushing her cheekbones, similar coloured Dragon wings trailing behind her seated form. Her clothes were eccentric and equally as bright as her hair, illuminating her in the dull light of the classroom. Noticing their presence, she looked up from the files in front of her, eyes widening, and smiled.

"Hello, there! You must be Harry Potter," She looked at him directly, then shifted her eyes to look at his mates. "Thomas Slytherin, Draco Malfoy, Blaise Zabini and Elian Luwynn." She correctly identified each of them as well, almost sounding worshipful of their surnames, which weirded Harry out slightly. "My, I never thought I'd see such a diverse and prestigious Mateship! I am your new Professor, Hawthorn Hendrix. It's a pleasure to make your acquaintance." Professor Hendrix held out her hand to Harry then, and he shook it, smiling hesitantly at her authentic enthusiasm.

"It's nice to meet you, too."

"Oh, aren't you a darling? Now, ignore all the rules that your previous Professor enforced, sit wherever you like, and I'll be beginning the lesson as soon as the others arrive. I've been informed that we have a new addition today, as Mr Smith has chosen a new mate, how exciting!" She shook hands with the rest of them, before heading back to her desk, her jovial mood disappearing as soon as she began scouring the files once more, a frown marring her features.

Harry turned to give a perplexed look at his mates, noting their similar expressions and headed for the same table they had occupied previously. The layout of the room was a little different, with more space in between each table, and cabinets added whereas previously, the room was quite bare, almost as if Professor Marke had been predicting his short stay. The chairs also now contained cushions, and the tables had items covering them- a pot of pens, a stack of notebooks, a pile of parchment and a pot of glass stones. Harry took this in with interest, sitting at the end seat as he had done previously.

Slowly, as the clock ticked closer to the start, more trickled in, and Lavender and her mate entered last, passing by their table with a smile.

Noting that everyone was present, Professor Hendrix discarded the paper in her hands and stood up with a welcoming smile. "Hello everybody, I am your Creature Studies Professor for the foreseeable future, Professor Hendrix. It's lovely to meet you all, despite how that has come about. I was assigned by the Creature Council due to the gross incompetence of your ex-Professor, Phillius Marke, who is now under investigation for the negligence shown towards you, the next generation of Creatures." She paused here, a serious expression shadowing her features. "Now, I have looked through the questionnaires you were assigned for your summer work, as well as the test you took about the textbook you were assigned, and I would like for you to take another one due to some missing information that I find essential to assist you as best I can. I am also to relay that you will be needing another textbook, which will be sent to you by the Creature Council, due to the misconceptions and falsehoods within your current one. If you hadn't noticed by now, I am a Dragonborn, and at over a thousand years old, I am qualified to teach you, the newest generation of Creatures coming through. Our Council is very strict with the standards of their teachers, and we must go through vigorous testing, welfare checks and meetings to qualify to teach. Therefore, you can rest assured that I am capable of teaching you. Now, any questions?"

Three hands went up, from Lavender, Smith's mate, and Draco.

"What is your question? Yes, you." She pointed to Lavender. "What's your name?"

"Lavender Brown."

Hendrix seemed to soften. "Ah, the most recently inherited of our group. Please, ask me anything you want."

"Um, I wanted to ask, there are a lot of mentions within the books I have read of Major Creatures and Minor Creatures. What are the differences between these?"

"The Major Creatures, Dragonborn, Fae, Vampires, Boreads and Veela's, are the strongest of all Creature species and are widely reckoned to be the progenitor species of all other Creatures, both reasons as to why they have a title such as that. Minor Creatures, on the other hand, can all be traced back as being descended from one of the Major Species, and are therefore considered a second generation of evolution. That is the main difference between the two. Is there anything else you would like me to add?" Lavender shook her head, so the Professor moved on. "And how about you, Mr Malfoy?" She turned to face Draco, and he drew himself up at the attention.

"I've heard about the gatherings that are held, but can you explain them in a bit more detail?" Draco asked, and Harry rolled his eyes at his fixation on society and politicking. They'd already been through this, but his mate seemed to want to know the gatherings inside and out, and Harry knew that they'd be making an appearance at all of them by Draco's request.

"Ah, the gatherings, yes, they are a very interesting part of our culture. There are many different gatherings held- public ones, those that request an invite, and finally private ones held by families and such. I assume you have heard of the main gathering? You will all receive a blanket invite for this bi-annual gathering once it comes around next, for you, your mates, and a select amount of your children, usually two per mate. All Creatures, from all over the world, are invited unless there are specific circumstances barring them from attending. It is held in June every two years, over the course of two days, and there is a space for everyone within the Halls, so don't worry about crowding."

"Do these private gatherings also take place within the Council Halls?"

She nodded. "They can, if the organiser rents it out, but most prefer to hold them within their own homes for more intimate events."

"Thank you for answering."

The Professor smiled. "You are very polite, it's refreshing compared to many young Dominants that I come across nowadays. And, finally, Ms Owens, what was your question?"

Smith's first mate, who Harry now knew as Owens spoke up last. "My mate wished to know more about the Councils of our society." Her voice was soft and bright, a contrast to her muscled build and no-nonsense stare.

"The first Council, and that of the highest status, is the Council of Creatures, compromised of a range of different species, mostly those of Elder or Ancient status. It holds the power to create and uphold laws, and is the first place to contact when you are in dire need of legal help or knowledge, such as when you are first inherited. The second Council is that of the Ancients, containing only those over the age of ten thousand. There are only four of these such councils, one for each of the Creature species who have the lifespan to get to that age, Dragonborn, Fae, Vampires and Boreads. Its main purpose is to hold knowledge and pass it on to future generations, as well as serve as the role of a guide for Elders and fellow Ancients. The third is the Council of Elders, in which there is one for each of the Major Creature Species, despite Veela's differing definition of an Elder, and a mixed one that represents the Minor creatures. This Council's purpose is to help those in need, for the lowest level laws and general knowledge. I am to inform you that if you have any further questions that you don't wish to speak about in person, you may contact the council that corresponds with your species with relative ease- the higher the Council, the less likely you are to contact them unless it concerns their role."

She turned to Smith next to her, eyes softening. "Is that all you wanted to know?" Smith shrugged, then nodded his head when the woman didn't turn away. "Yes, that's all. Thank you."

"You're very welcome. Now, that we have gotten these questions out of the way, I will be handing out a questionnaire that the Council have approved. A lot of them simply require you to tick an answer you feel most suits your position, but others will require a sentence or two." With a flick of her wrist, she sent the papers on her desk flying around the room and landing in front of each student. Harry peered down at the thick booklet with horror. "Please begin as soon as possible, I am afraid it is quite lengthy."

He flipped open the booklet and began to answer on the information on the first page.

Name: Harry Potter

Date of Birth: 31/07/80

Species: Fae

Classification: Submissive

Section 1- Choose one option that fits your experience of your introduction to Creature Society by your Consultant:

-My introduction to Creature Society was Satisfactory /

-My introduction to Creature Society was Moderate

-My introduction to Creature Society was Insufficient

-I am a Creature-born, and therefore, this is not applicable

Section 2- If your experience was less than expected, please write here what you felt was missing:

Harry left this area blank, and moved on to the next, ticking and crossing boxes, writing out the odd short sentence that was required for a further opinion, and he finally finished after the fiftieth question.

Breathing out a sigh of relief, he placed down his quill and rolled his sore wrist, grimacing at the stiffness.

"Finished?" Elian asked, and Harry looked up to meet his shining gold eyes.

"Yeah, you?"

He hummed. "Nearly, but there's a lot to write. I missed out on a few that I need to go back on." Yet he didn't turn back to the paper, simply content to watch Harry whilst twirling a quill between his fingers.

Harry cleared his throat, blushing slightly under his intense stare. "Well, is there any way I can help with those? Not that I think I know more than you would, but just to help, you know?" He rambled slightly, and Elian let out a quiet, tinkling laugh.

"I know, sweet. Thanks for the offer, but I've got it handled." He sent him a wink, before finally turning back to his booklet, leaving Harry to internally shriek at the nickname.

He felt his face heat up even more, and the snorts from Draco and Blaise didn't help his composure.

19th September 1997- Friday

For Hermione's eighteenth birthday, Harry had prepared his gift months in advance, building it up with more things as time passed, until finally, when the big day arrived, he could gift it all to her.

Raised with muggles for the majority of her life, Hermione still held onto the notion that her eighteenth birthday was a special one, so Harry, who had been raised under his mum's influence, and Ron, who embraced Hermione's other world with curiosity, were going to make it as memorable as she had always wanted.

"Harry, you didn't have to!" Hermione blushed as she walked into the room, and met with the sight of the pile he had acquired.

"I wanted to, It's your eighteenth, it's a special day!" He smiled, leading her to her present, Ron following behind with an awed smile. He had already given Hermione her gift, a necklace he had been saving up for and the latest book from her favourite author, which his girlfriend had loved if the way she twiddled the red gem between her fingers showed anything.

"How many books did you get me?"

"Enough for you to finally start your own personal library, and to hopefully keep you occupied until your next birthday." He shrugged, grinning happily at her awed stare.

She turned around, frizzy hair swinging wildly, and launched herself into his arms. "Thanks, Harry. And thank you, Ron. This is amazing!"

24th September 1997- Wednesday

Harry fidgeted, shifting on his seat, his movements twitchy, head swivelling to take in the room with suspicion and wariness. The atmosphere of the room felt off, more threatening and open than previously, even with his mates surrounding him to protect him from the other Creatures in the room.

To his right, Tom was watching his movements with an intense expression, eyeing as he narrowed his eyes at Greengrass as she moved, a growl rumbling from his chest, surprising Draco who turned to him with a raised eyebrow.

"You ok, Harry?"

He didn't turn to him, instead continuing to survey the room with a huff, his lip raised up into a snarl.

"Har-"

"Leave him, Draco. He's feeling threatened."

Draco's eyebrows lifted. "About what?" He asked in an incredulous voice that drew a huff from Harry, his eyes squinting before his gaze turned back to the classroom at large.

Tom simply continued to watch Harry, tilting his head slightly to the side, looking like a predator fixated on its prey. Harry stiffened under his watchful gaze and drew himself up, avoiding eye contact with his mate.

"I have an idea, but it can wait until we are back in our rooms." He vaguely answered, drawing sighs from the two youngest Dominants. Elian, however, was also staring at Harry, although with less clarity than Tom.

Harry was on the kitchen side as soon as he entered the room, climbing it with a ravenous hunger to yank open the cupboards filled with food, grabbing a box of crackers and ripping them open to stuff his face.

The sound of a bag dropping on the carpeted floor drew his attention, and he turned his head, mouth stuffed full of food. "What are you doing?!"

He let a growl rumble in his chest at the tone. "Eating."

Draco's mouth opened and closed for a few seconds before he choked out: "I can...see that. But, do you have to eat like an animal?"

Harry interpreted that as his mate attempting to take his food away from him, so with a shifty look towards the bedroom door, he leapt from the side, gaining a shout from Blaise, and sprinted into the room, shutting the door behind him. He sat in front of it, ignoring the knocks and words, and continued to eat.

"Harry, how are you feeling?" Blaise pressed a hand to his forehead, checking his temperature, and Harry leaned into his cool palm. He simply hummed in response, enjoying the chilly touch.

They were sitting down in the living room, Harry having abandoned the bedroom once the box of crackers had been emptied and he needed water. He had been captured in the tight hold of Blaise and dragged towards the sofa, snarling playfully up at his mate who indulged him in a round of wrestling before they settled into the corner in a contented pile. Draco had squished himself up close against his other side once the roughhousing was clearly over, leaving Elian and Tom to sit on the opposite sofa, staring amusedly at the tree trying to fuse themselves into one person.

Elian cleared his throat, still with a soft smile on his face, but his eyes were serious. "Harry, this is important for you to answer, verbally. How are you feeling? Any hotness, any feelings of violence or uncomfortableness?"

Harry hummed once more, thinking his words over in his sluggish mind. He felt...fine. But, looking back at the day, he had felt those things. When he had woken up this morning, he had felt hot. Whist in Creature Studies, he had wanted to hurt all the other Creatures in the room, apart from his mates, for daring to be so near him. And his stomach had been clenching the whole day, only settling once he was in the arms of one or more of his mates. He relayed all this to his mates, and Blaise seemed to tense next to him, whilst Elian and Tom seemed to have expected it.

"I believe that this could be a sign, a clear sign, of... your upcoming heat being imminent," Tom explained gently, and he also tensed.

"What?"

"Increased appetite for high-energy foods, increased anxiousness, increased feelings of violence, cramping, all signs that point towards a Submissives heat coming closer."

His mind short-circuited as he tried to take in the information. "But...but it hasn't even been two months since I inherited?!"

"Heat cycles can be anything, recorded from as little as three weeks to over five hundred years, but once it hits for the first time, that is your heat cycle. Depending on if the Submissive in question is pregnant after that heat, and the recovery period they give birth, or simply the recovery period after a heat until the next cycle begins, this time span can be lengthened, but still, that heat cycle is set in stone once it begins. Therefore, it is possible that your cycle could be as little as two months. We need to begin preparing for it to hit if I am reading these signs properly."

He drew back. "I'm-I'm not ready. I..."

Elian looked sympathetic. "Heat cycles, unfortunately, don't take into account the feelings of the people experiencing them. I'm sorry, Harry, but... we'll just have to try and help you feel prepared for it as best as we can."

27th September 1997- Saturday

His little brother, tiny little Dylan, was finally three, and Harry felt sad that, once again, he couldn't spend the special day with him. Especially now that he might have a chance of remembering his and their sisters' absence. Fortunately, this was his last year at Hogwarts, but he had already missed the first three birthdays of his one and only brother.

However, with his Creature Inheritance, no matter how many disadvantages came with it, there were also some liberties. One of them being access to a floo connection that could invite people in, with the express permission of the Headmaster, who happened to be a family friend that was all too happy to allow his mum in with his little brother when he asked.

Therefore, for the first time, Harry got to see his brother on his birthday. His mum, who had the day off, came through the floo after breakfast, carrying Dylan in her arms, who was babbling contentedly into her shoulder.

"Ha-ey!" Dylan shouted as he spotted him, wiggling within their Mum's arms, making demanding noises as she chuckled and placed him on the floor, the boy toddling as fast as his little legs would carry him into Harry's own.

"Hey, buddy. Happy birthday!" He picked him up, and Dylan smiled toothily up at him, grabbing at his hair with tiny hands.

"Ha-ey! Happy!"

"Yes, happy birthday." His bulk was beginning to strain on his arms, so Harry walked to the sofa so that he could have a proper cuddle. Dylan's eyes began to roam the room as he took in his surroundings, and he gasped cutely when his eyes landed on Elian and Tom, who were sitting on the other sofa. He huddled closer to Harry, staring up at him questioningly.

"Who they?"

"They are Tom," He pointed to him so Dylan would know who was who. "And Elian, my mates."

He tilted his head, eyebrows scrunching. "Mate?"

"Remember when I woke up with pretty fairy wings?" He nodded exuberantly. "Well, because of that, I had to meet some new people, and I like them a lot, so now they're my mates." At his brother's very confused stare at his attempt of explaining the situation in simple terms, he continued. "Like mummy and daddy."

"Like mummy and daddy?" He hummed positively. Dylan tilted his head. "But..." He scrunched his eyebrows, and Harry easily interpreted it as him struggling to put his thoughts into words.

"It's not only Tom and Elian. Draco, who you know, don't you? And Blaise too, who is over there, are also my mates. There's more of us because of what my wings meant." He still looked confused, but now seemed to lose all interest in what Harry was saying, instead reaching out for Elian.

"I want."

"You want to go and see Elian?" He asked, and Dylan enthusiastically nodded. Harry glanced at his mate, and seeing no negative reaction, passed him over.

Elian expertly cradled the boy, obviously used to holding children, and Harry melted at the sight, almost trilling. He sent him a knowing look, before turning his full attention back to Dylan, eyes soft. "Hiya, I'm Elian!"

Dylan stared up at him with intense interest, reaching up to grab at his golden locks and tugging on them with a giggle. "Pretty!"

"Thank you, you're very pretty too."

Harry smiled at the scene as Dylan babbled at his mate, but knew that they were under a time constraint. "Dyl, I've got something for you, a present."

"P'esent?" He lisped, leaning backwards so he could stare into Harry's eyes with an excited gleam. "Give, give!"

"Hang on a second, Blaise, could you- thanks!" His mate handed him the parcel wrapped in silver paper, and Dylan's eyes locked onto it immediately. "Open it, Dyl."

Excitedly, the boy grabbed the box out of his hands and began tearing at the paper, throwing the scraps onto the floor despite his mum's vocal disapproval. He gasped excitedly when the box was revealed, the colourful picture on the front depicting what its contents were.

"Bouncy!"

"Yes, a trampoline!" Dylan's last miniature trampoline had unfortunately been destroyed when it was left outside in the rain by accident, and to say the little boy had been distraught was an understatement. That day, and forever after, Harry realised that his baby brother wasn't the angel he had thought him of, the tantrum he had held being legendary.

His mum and dad still hadn't gotten around to replacing it, so Harry had decided to take matters into his own hands and buy him a new, slightly larger one with a surrounding net, for his third birthday.

His mum placed a warm hand on the top of his head, and Harry turned, meeting her warm smile with one of her own. "Say thank you, Dyl."

"Fank you!"

"Anything for my favourite brother." He cooed, pecking the boy on the nose much to his shrieking delight.

A knock on the door alerted them to visitors, and Draco approached the door, opening it slowly, only to be knocked to the side by Liana barging in, Daisy close behind. She scanned the room, and locked onto Dylan on Elian's lap, charging forward with purpose.

Snatching him from his lap, Lia tipped the now shrieking boy upside down as she giggled happily. "Dyl, Happy birthday!"

However, their brother, who took a few moments to process the sudden movement, was not impressed and wailed in fear rather than the joy Lia had been aiming for. "Put down! Ma! Ma!"

"Liana, be careful!"

"I'm being gentle, I thought he was going to like it!"

Their mum was at her side in a moment, grabbing Dylan and tilting him the right way up, and the boy sniffled, burying his head in her shoulder. She sent a disapproving look at Liana. "Shh, it's alright, she wasn't going to drop you, Dyl."

"Not...like."

"No, I know you didn't like it. Liana, say sorry to him."

Liana pouted slightly, shifting in embarrassment. "Sorry Dyl."

The boy lifted his head, eyes still slightly watery, and held out his hands to his eldest sister. "Hug."

With a grin, she grabbed him out of their Mum's arms and cuddled him close, cheek rubbing against the top of his head in a soothing movement. "I know what'll cheer you up. I got you a present. Well, It's from both me and Daisy since we were on a budget and decided to combine expenses, but still, present!"

Dylan clapped his hands happily, and Liana placed him on the floor, taking the box from Daisy's hands. Harry scooched closer, watching as he ripped into it and shrieked once more.

"Teddy!" He grabbed the bear from inside its box and cuddled it close to his chest.

"Yes, a teddy, but let go of it for a second, I want to show you something." With great reluctance and slight confusion, he dropped the bear, and Liana pointed her wand at it, whispering under her breath. Suddenly, the bear began to grow, twice the size, three times the size, four, five, until finally, it stopped when it was nearly the same height as Draco, who was standing close by.

The room was silent for a few seconds, before Dylan screamed in overstimulated excitement, charging at the bear and hugging it with both arms. "I love it! Fanks!"

Liana and Daisy's smiles were huge, and Harry laughed in delight at his brother's enthusiastic response, despite their mum's defeated expression. She'd be the one dealing with his excitement when they went home, and his eventual tantrum when his mood inevitably dropped. He sent her a commiserating look, and she rolled her eyes fondly as Dylan ran to his sister's, tackling them both into hugs.

8th October 1997- Wednesday

"To be an Elder, to all species of Creatures, is one of the highest honours attainable, only below that of an Ancient, a member of a Noble and Royal family, or a part of one of the many Councils that govern our society. Being labelled as an Elder means that you have passed the average expected age of that species, it is a very respectable position to be in and comes with the responsibility of upholding the values of our society and passing them on to the next generation.

Elders are vital to the continuation of the peace and transaction of knowledge and are therefore important members of society that are to be respected. Therefore, unless informed not to, you must refer to Elder's by their title of 'Elder'. There is leniency for Creatures under the age of fifty, however, after that, the Elders will take offence to the purposeful absence of their official title, and it can end in repercussions."

"Why is it such a serious offence?" Macmillan questioned, sounding confused.

"Because of the age of these Elder's, having lived so long, it is expected that they are to receive some modicum of respect. Elders, for most species, are over five thousand years old, and therefore, the ideals they hold are from the period they were born in, usually. How they react to this offence also depends on their personal opinion of respect, and whilst some may simply brush it off, others may take it to hand to punish you by law, or even physically, such as by challenging you to an honour fight. It is looked down upon for those who have caused the offence to win these, so it is best for you to simply allow the Elder to win if you believe you may have a chance of beating them. But, with at least five thousand years of experience, that is very doubtful."

Harry listened to this lecture with half a mind, most of it focused on keeping his emotions wrapped up, and for his wings to remain tucked against his body. This was the worst he had ever felt, and as a wave of agony rolled through his body, and he had to curl in on himself to muffle the noise of pain, he knew that what Tom and Elian had said was true.

It wouldn't be long now, and he wasn't sure how ready he was for it.

9th October 1997- Thursday

When he woke up on the ninth of October, Harry knew that there was no way he was going to be able to tolerate sitting in a classroom for two hours, attempting to focus on learning whilst surrounded by threats, his insides burning him to a crisp.

He panted, throwing the covers off of himself, struggling to prop himself up on one arm, before he collapsed and simply laid there, mourning what he knew was happening.

His heat had begun.

A quick glance at the calendar by the bed- Tom's, who was incredibly meticulous with tracking his cycle- showed it to be the seventy-first day since his Inheritance and birthday. His heat cycle was a meagre seventy days long, or- he did a quick, unfocused calculation in his head- about two and a bit months long.

He cursed under his breath, stretching out on the warm sheets in discomfort, moaning as the movement cracked his back. That was such a short time, he felt that the time between his inheritance to now had passed in the blink of an eye. Hopefully, his recovery time would allow him longer in between before his next cycle started up.

His stomach muscles tensed suddenly, sending a wave of pain down his legs and up his spine. He groaned in discomfort, twisting side to side as the ache finally receded and allowed him to think once more.

Where were his mates? Surely, they wouldn't all leave him alone, not this close to his heat?

He let out a discontented chirp, blushing heavily at the animalistic sound that had involuntarily burbled from his throat. But he didn't have much time to feel embarrassment as the door to their bedroom burst open a few seconds later, a feral-looking Draco- Boread features bared in all of their glory- entered with a calming rumble.

Harry's eyes fixed on his form, and as much happiness as he felt from a mate's appearance, annoyance clouded his thoughts. "Where were you?!" He yelled as he roved his gaze over his clothed form, perfectly dressed in his uniform. It made him snarl internally- his mate was going to leave him alone when he was so vulnerable, so uncomfortable.

"Um, in the living room," He stuttered out, taking in Harry's sweaty, pained visage. "Are you alright?"

A frustrated growl tore from his throat. "No, I'm bloody not! I'm in heat!" His attention was redirected when a dripping Blaise entered the room, wings also flared, taking him in as well.

He frowned, dark eyebrows scrunching. "Heat? So soon?"

"Yes, heat!" He hissed, his patience for the distance between them waning. "Where are Tom and Elian?"

He approached Harry with his hands raised, and he nearly melted as they came into contact with his clammy forehead, allowing him to think clearer momentarily. "They're out, Tom got called into the Ministry and Elian went to go get more blankets since you said-"

"Go and get them! They shouldn't have left!"

Blaise turned to their other mate. "Draco, can you-"

The blond was already out of the door before Blaise could ask, and Harry growled as his remaining mate's attention was turned elsewhere, He whipped his head back quickly, a rumble in his chest soothing Harry's rejected feelings immediately. He cuddled in closer to Blaise, wrapping him in his arms securely and bundling him down onto the bed. His mate laughed, holding him equally tightly, nuzzling his face into his hair.

"I didn't expect your heat to hit so soon, I thought we had another few days at least. How are you feeling?"

"Hot, achy, uncomfortable."

He hummed sympathetically. "You're still in the early stages then."

Harry felt aghast. "This is the early stages?" But he was so hot and uncomfortable already, he couldn't imagine it getting worse than this. His stomach was cramping as well, sending shivers through his body, toes curling into the sheets to stop from voicing his pain.

"Yeah, seeing as how you're still able to hold a conversation and haven't completely turned feral on me yet. You're not even in your Creature form yet. Give it a few hours, and you'll be climbing all over us." Harry's lip curled at the thought, and Blaise chuckled. "However, for the moment, all you'll want to be is comfortable and safe. Have you made a nest?"

"Why would I do that?"

Blaise shook his head, looking contrite. "Shit, we really need to sit down and just give you every bit of information we know. Submissives, especially ones related to nesting types, create nests for comfort during heat. That you haven't made one means that it's not in your instincts to make one, so that means that I won't have to go and search for it." Harry growled at the suggestion that Blaise was going to leave him, and was shushed comfortingly. "I'm not moving, Harry, not until the others are back, at least."

They basked in each other's presence for a few more minutes, until the sound of the floo flaring alerted them to one of their missing mates' arrival. In the blink of an eye, Tom was by Harry's side, startling him as he grabbed his arms, red eyes searching his figure with intense focus.

"Harry, are you alright? I heard from Draco that you are in heat." He looked deeply into his eyes, and it made Harry preen to have every ounce of his attention for himself.

"I'm guessing so, Blaise says I'm in the early stages." His mate scoured him once more, nodding his head.

"I agree." He turned his head briefly to glance at the calendar, letting out a breath. "Your heat cycle must be seventy days long since today's the seventy-first since your birthday. I'll make sure to make a note of that, although there's no knowing when you'll next start your heat cycle after your heat has finished. We'll take better precautions next time, and make sure that we're present when it hits, I promise. I'm sorry that I wasn't here when you woke up. If I'd known how close you were..."

"It's fine, Tom. As long as one of you is with me, at least at the moment, I feel okay."

"Still, I'd rather you not have to suffer from our absence, even for a moment."

A crash from the living room announced the arrival of both Draco and Elian, and Harry almost melted into the sheets as their collective aura's settled over him, relaxing that all his mates were finally within close vicinity.

"Harry, are you alright?" Elian was on his in moments, grabbing him by his shoulders to peer deeply into his eyes, all his Fae attributes on display, which Harry had never seen before. Sure, Elian had shown his wings and ears, but he'd never released enough for his eyes to change shape, and gain a luminous hue, nor for the markings around them to show. He was breathtaking, but Harry didn't have much in him but to sigh at the answer, and cuddle closer.

"Tired." He mumbled, leaning backwards to lay back on the bed, dragging his mate with him. When none of the others followed, he chirped again, this time in annoyance, and soon, there was a pile of bodies on the bed, with him at the centre.

"Get some sleep if you can, Harry. It'd be better for you to rest whilst you can." He was out like a light before Draco's sentence had even finished.

The searing pain of his heat hit him all at once, as suddenly as a crashing wave, drowning him in agony until he could do nothing but screech, the feeling of the once soft bedsheets and clothes on his body feeling like thousands of knives on his skin.

He writhed, back arching, trying to escape the agony that was tearing its way ruthlessly through his body, all emanating from his stomach area. He almost wanted to rip into the offending area and tear out the cause of his pain, but his arms felt too weak to move, and his mind was once again distracted wholly by the pain.

Suddenly, there were hands on his body, ripping his offending clothes to shreds, and he purred in contentment as their cool touch came into contact with his searing hot skin. Elian.

"Shh, it's alright, Harry."

He hadn't even realised that he had begun to sob, hands curling into the shirt of his mate and tugging at it.

"Hurry up! It's so hot, I'm burning!" He wailed, throwing his head back and cracking it against the headrest of the bed.

"Shit, Harry, are you alright!? Tom-"

The cool sensation of a medical spell being cast enveloped the area he had bashed, and the mate behind him, Tom, let out a sigh of relief. "It's fine, just a little bump."

Harry was still crying, although not for the reason his mates were worried about. "Hurry up!" His voice cracked at the end of his desperate wail, and he twisted and turned until he felt the rest of his mates' hands on his body, cooling down his skin.

"Shh, it's alright Harry, we're here." The soothing rumble of Blaise's voice was the last thing he heard, and Draco's cool hand brushing back his sweaty hair was the last thing he felt before his mind turned to mush.

They were all here, he would be safe.

Word Count: 8.7k

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