I quite like this chapter, although, it was supposed to have a gigantic scene at the end that I just wasn't in the right mindset to write then, so I've instead moved it to take up the vast majority of the next chapter. Saying that, this one is still 4.1k, so it's not like it made it short. Anyway, I hope you enjoy this chapter ;)

14th October 1997- Tuesday

Harry awoke, unwillingly, to the faint sound of birds chirping in the distance. Their tweets, usually sweet and pure, felt sharp to his sensitive ears. He groaned at the room's harsh brightness from behind his eyelids, visible now that he was conscious. He shifted, whining as the movement brought his attention to the aches and pains of his body, and he hissed as an especially tender bruise was knocked by his flailing hand.

It was then that his mind registered his urgent need for the toilet, and he vaulted out of the bed, taking the covers with him in his mad dash to the bathroom, still half asleep. The noise obviously alerted one of his mates to his awakeness, because a knock on the door sounded whilst he was washing his hands.

"Harry, are you alright in there?" It was Elian, sounding concerned. He opened his mouth to respond, but all that came out was an unintelligible grunt. A second knock came, this one sounding more frantic. "Harry?" This time, the door handle jiggled ferociously. "Harry?! I'm coming in-"

"I..." He swallowed, the words grating on his throat like sandpaper. "I'm fine...give me a sec."

Elian's sigh of relief was audible even through the door and he stopped trying to force it open. "Alright, as long as you're okay?"

"I'm fine, stop worrying." He flapped his hands dry and opened the door, meeting his mate's concerned stare. It almost made him want to roll his eyes, but he was feeling so out of it that he simply huffed as an arm was slung over his shoulders, Elian grinning down at him. "Why'd you get so worked up? I was only using the loo."

"You've been out for quite a while, I didn't know if anything was wrong, and you were so silent in there."

Harry tilted his head back to stare up at his mate's face. He was as handsome as ever, if a little ruffled looking, his golden curly shining in even dampened sunlight. "How long did I sleep for?"

He shrugged "Over half a day, I'm not sure. At least, we woke up quite a few hours ago, and it felt like I'd slept for ages."

"What time is it?"

"Oh, only mid-morning, we just woke up in the middle of the night. Actually, you're up much earlier than I expected." He got a concerned look on his face. "But, anyway, Tom's making breakfast."

That stopped Harry short. "Tom?"

"Yeah, none of us can be bothered to go down to the Great Hall, and we're especially not forcing you to, and we're all a bit on edge at the moment, so a..." He paused, seeming to think about his next words. "House Elf wouldn't be a very welcome sight. And apparently, he can cook! I was surprised, too!"

He sped up his pace to the kitchen, and lo and behold, there was his eldest mate, looking terrifyingly domestic with a spatula in one hand and a spoon in the other, staring down at the frying pan as if it was his mortal enemy. At their entrance, he looked up, red eyes scanning Harry intensely. He waved his hand, and both utensils floated in the air whilst he approached him.

"Harry, how are you?" Tom asked, a hand brushing over his shoulder and the side of his neck in a comforting gesture.

Instead of immediately blurting out that he was fine, Harry pondered on the question for a few seconds. "I'm good, a bit achy though." And he refused to think further as to why that was, he was feeling too queasy to be embarrassed currently.

Tom's lips twitched up into a small smirk. "Yes, I would have thought you would be. I prepared a pain reliever just in case." He gestured to the bottle sitting on the side. "Only drink about half of it if the pain isn't too bad."

It tasted disgusting, and his face scrunched up in revulsion, sparking a laugh from Elian at his side as he dragged him away from the kitchen and into the living room, where Draco and Blaise were sitting with plates full of food.

A slight shove was all it took for him to collapse onto the sofa, sinking into the soft mass with a sigh of relief. Just walking from the bedroom to the living room had exhausted him more than he would like to admit. Tom entered the room with a steaming plate of food a minute later, and Harry shook his head when he noticed that the man was approaching him.

"Don't you want anything to eat, Harry?" Draco asked concernedly, staring at the empty spot in front of him, and then his full plate of food. "You're going to be absolutely useless this morning if you don't eat."

Harry's nose scrunched as a plate of food was placed in front of him, and his lip curled, a slight growl forming in his throat.

"Leave him, Draco. He's still coming back to himself, and his body is readjusting to needing food once more. I doubt he'll want anything until dinner, at least." Elian explained, fondly brushing a hand on Draco's shoulder. To Harry's surprise, the Boread didn't brush him away, simply sending him a slight glare instead.

It seemed as though his heat hadn't only brought together him and his mates more closely, but his mates to each other, as well.

Elian pulled the plate towards himself, and Tom sat on his other side, a plate of his own in his hands. He allowed the two to feed him small bites of their own food, but any offer of a plate off of his own was met with a growl.

The rest of the day was a slow one of lounging, sleeping and just reaffirming their bonds, now closer to each other than ever before, simple displays of affection coming easier with every brush of a hand through his hair and nuzzle to the side of his neck.

15th October 1997- Wednesday

"Dragonborn, the species which I and some of you are either a part of, or connected to in some way through bloodline or mateships, are, as you know, considered a Major species, the direct ancestor of many Minor Creature species. As the second most populous of the Major species, Dragonborns are rather involved in politics and the protection aspect of our society. The majority of the guards you will see during events will be Dragonborn, due to their enhanced senses, strength and speed-"

The day after, Harry, having had enough of the coddling he was being subjected to, decided to attend his Creature Studies lesson as normal, ignoring the glances sent his way by both his mates and the other Creatures in the classroom. However, he was barely paying attention to the lesson, instead distractedly listening in as his thoughts swirled.

His body felt off, and his instincts were going wild, berating himself internally for having emerged from his post-heat headspace too quickly, forcing his body to work in a way it wasn't ready to yet. Still, he had to hold strong, his final exams were approaching fast now that seventh year had gained its rhythm.

"Harry, are you sure you're alright? We can go back at any time."

"I'm fine, besides, I can't miss any more lessons."

"Submissives are legally permitted a week at most off of any commitments after their heat-"

"I already spent yesterday recuperating, there's no need to spend any more time doing that. I'm fine, drop it." He hissed, wary of the eyes that were drawn to their hushed conversation.

"Harry, we simply are simply thinking of your health."

He signed, his hackles lowering at the soothing tone. "I know that, but trust me when I say that I'm fine." They left him alone after that, although by the concerned stares they were sending his way every few seconds, Harry knew that they hadn't dropped it.

17th October 1997- Friday

The Transfiguration classroom was the last place Harry wanted to be right now, he'd much rather be hidden within the safe confines of his bedroom or snuggled into the corner of their sofa, than under McGonagall's untrusting stare. Yet, he had little choice, and even the presence of his closest friends couldn't brighten his mood.

"Heya, Harry, how are you?" Ron greeted as he drew closer, and Harry let a harsh breath escape him as he collapsed onto his chair, pursing his lips, giving his friend a look.

He was exhausted, he was stressed, he was losing his mind with the rollercoaster his emotions were taking him on, yet at the same time, he'd never felt as content as he did with the current level of affection his mateship was showing each other, him included.

"Tired." He grunted simply, digging around in his back to slap the textbook on the desk.

Hermione, from the other side of Ron, leaned over him, eyes full of interest and concern. "From your heat?" She questioned, tone containing worry for her friend as much as it did scholarly interest.

Harry blushed, cheeks tinting a rosy red, and stuttered at her bluntness. "Um...no? Not from that, but more from how persistent my mates are being about my health. It's... a lot." He sighed, head falling into the palm of his hand. "They won't let it go, even though there's nothing really wrong, I'm just feeling a little off at the moment. I'm sure It'll go away soon." And he was, it didn't feel like much was wrong, at least, not physically. His scent was a little off, yeah, and his emotions felt a little more uncontrollable than usual, but surely, that was normal after a first heat, right?

"Why don't you go and get a check-up from Madam Pomphrey, relieve their worries, it'll get them off your back," Hermione suggested, and he shrugged, squirming slightly under their dual, concerned stares. He knew that it was a simple solution, but...

"Maybe, but you know I don't like the hospital wing." He'd spent too much of his time at Hogwarts there, mostly due to accidents on the Quidditch pitch.

Ron jumped in. "I don't think you'd be in there for long, it's not like you're in any pain, right, ma-Harry? It'll only be a checkup to ease your and their worries." He also looked troubled, freckled nose scrunched.

Harry sighed, knowing that they both had a point. "Hopefully, but not today. I'll see how I feel tomorrow morning."

18th October 1997- Saturday

On Saturday, the tension finally broke, and Harry was sequestered by his mates and sat down for the long-needed conversation. Tom, who always seemed to be the one to spearhead any uncomfortable conversations they had with him, sat at his side, gently holding onto his arm as if to keep him there, worried he would run off. "What's wrong, Harry? I'm concerned, you've been acting odd ever since your heat ended. Whilst this can be expected for the first few days after, it has been over a week now."

He huffed in response, feeling cornered and defensive, despite their open expressions. Well, as open as a bunch of Slytherins could get, Elian being the only outlier. Harry had him pegged for a Hufflepuff, although the man surprised him with his ferocity and sneakiness sometimes. "I'm fine, I'm just feeling a little off."

"Feeling a bit off is normal, and an expected symptom of post-heat, but the reactions you have been exhibiting are concerning. You've been shying away from crowds more than previously, shown signs of aggression and anger towards everyone, and have an increased appetite. It's almost as if you are at the cusp of another heat, but that can't be the case."

"Harry, I really think you should go and see a healer." Blaise cut in, and by Tom's exasperated sigh, they had been wanting to ease him more into the conversation before they mentioned anything about a checkup.

"What? Why? There's nothing wrong-" Harry began, panicked at the thought, but then he stopped. "Oh," Thinking further about it, he could understand what concerns they were having. He'd had his heat, possibly a fertile one, and they thought... "Oh. Oh, you-you think I could be... pregnant?" His voice pitched higher, and he scrunched his eyebrows. "But..." No further words came out.

"The way you're acting, Harry," Elian nervously licked his lips, hesitating, the wings on his back fluttering with nervousness. "I've seen signs like this many times before... from pregnant Submissives. I have many siblings, and quite a few of them, or their partners, are Submissives, and whenever signs such as these begin to show, it usually turns out that they are pregnant." He looked into his eyes, searching for a reaction nervously. "It's an instinctive, protective mindset from your Creature side, to protect your clutch from harm until you have the knowledge to knowingly protect them."

Harry's mouth opened, ready to deny it, refute any possibility of being pregnant. It was too soon, they hadn't been together long, and the first heat was hardly ever a fertile one. The chances were against them, more so than anything else. And yet...

"And what... what should I do, then? If I...am."

Tom leaned forward, regarding him seriously. "I... we think it's best if you go and see a healer, just to confirm or disprove our suspicions, first. Then, it will be up to you to decide."

"I'd prefer to see Madam Pomphrey. I'm... I don't want to get my hopes up... or, you know..."

Draco threw his arm over his shoulders, hugging him closer. "No matter the outcome, we'll be here to help you, Harry. There are no expectations, no pressure for one result or another, It is entirely up to you how to feel about the outcome."

He shakily smiled at his mates. "Fine, let's- let's go see her." Harry already felt a tightness growing within his chest, but just barely kept the panic at bay with a few deep breaths.

"Mr Potter, I hope you aren't here for yet another injury?" The woman tutted as she opened the medical wings' door, staring at him with disapproval. It was comforting that she was still treating him as she always had, disapproving yet unbiased.

"No, Madam Pomphrey, I was hoping you could give me a health check. My mates, um..." He stopped, staring up at her unsurely. Did she know?

Her gaze softened knowingly. "I am qualified to treat Creatures on a basic level, and I already know of your status."

Harry breathed out a slight sigh of relief that he wouldn't have to explain anything to her, or even worse, head to the Creature Healing Halls instead of the familiar comfort of Hogwarts' Healing Wing. "Then, my mates are concerned about some signs I've been showing lately, so we wanted to see if anything is causing this. Mainly..." He hesitated. "I want to know if I'm..." He gestured to his stomach area, and she nodded in understanding.

"Of course, come on in."

Madam Pomphrey ushered them into the hospital wing with a genial smile, leading them over to one of the empty beds- the whole room currently empty of casualties, which was relieving. If he was pregnant, he didn't want anyone that he didn't trust to know.

Harry clambered nervously onto the bed, fisting at the white sheets and biting his lip. "Um, so, how do we do this?"

Madam Pomphrey gave him an empathetic look, picking up her clipboard and handing it to him to read. "It's a very simple spell, which I will cast directly onto your stomach area. Once I do so, a piece of parchment with the results will appear with your results on them, revealing whether or not you have conceived."

"Alright. Do I need to...?" He grasped at the hem of his shirt, and she shook her head.

"The magic will work despite the layers. Ready?" With a swish of her wand, she cast the spell, and a warm feeling emanated from the area before it receded, and Harry opened his eyes as she plucked the parchment from the air and began to read. Harry fidgeted as she didn't speak for a while, looking back at his mates for reassurance. They were also staring at the medinurse, transfixed on the piece of parchment in a way that made his stomach squirm with nerves. He turned back to her hesitantly.

"What- what does it say?"

Madam Pomphrey looked up and gave him a small, reassuring smile. "Positive. You are pregnant, Harry."

His eyes widened, and he gave Draco's hand a harsh squeeze, the man's hand clenching equally tight around his own, and he thought he could hear a collective intake of breath from his mates behind him. "I'm... pregnant? Are you sure?"

His head spun with the speed of his thoughts. Pregnant? He was pregnant? Was he really...was there really a child...the possibility of a child...growing within him, right now?

"Yes, eight days along. Now, this is very early to know about your pregnancy, and I attribute that to your Creature instincts acknowledging that you are pregnant, and visibly showing this through your actions. Therefore, I implore you to tread with caution, as at this stage, your pregnancy is very unstable and fragile." She looked at him again, taking in his wide-eyed appearance, and steeled herself. "That is, unless this pregnancy is unwanted." His head snapped up, eyes going wide. "If that is the case, then-"

He made a pained noise. "No! No, I... It's not... I want to keep it."

"Are you sure, Harry? You are very early on, and young yourself, still." Madam Pomphrey stared at him seriously, eyes searching.

He shook his head vehemently. Just the thought of it was making him nearly physically recoil from the woman, his instincts screaming at him, now that he was taking proper notice of them, that she was trying to harm his baby. "No, no, I'm sure."

She nodded. "Then I will be here to support you throughout your pregnancy whilst you remain at Hogwarts. It would be best, however, for you to contact the Creature Healing Halls as soon as possible, so that they may also monitor you, as people with more experience and knowledge with Creature pregnancies. If it is not too bold of me, then let me be the first to congratulate you and your mates."

"...Thank you." He still hadn't brought up the nerve to glance behind him, too afraid of what he would see on his mates' faces. Despite what they had said earlier, did they truly want a child, or even children, with him so early on?

As Madam Pomphrey walked away, having sensed the tense atmosphere between them and noticed their need for privacy, he finally plucked up the courage to glance at Draco, who was still clutching onto his hand. He was staring at Harry in barely suppressed awe, eyes glittering as they looked in between his stomach area and his face, and when their eyes met, his attempt to compose himself was ruined by the smile twitching at his lips. It made him flustered, so he turned away quickly, grabbing hold of the parchment the nurse had left on the table, and hopped off the bed.

They left the medical wing in a collective daze, Harry gripping the parchment that confirmed what his body had been trying to tell him for days now. He was pregnant, and he had no idea how to feel.

On one hand, he was overjoyed at the outcome- his first heat had ended with being pregnant, and it was a wonderful sign for him who had always wanted a large family of his own, five or more children like his parents had had. However, he also felt some trepidation and worry- was he really ready for a child? Were they all ready? He, Draco and Blaise still had to finish off school, and they hadn't been together as a mateship for two months yet, so would this pull them even closer together, or would it create more distance?

If he was calculating right, then, if the baby wasn't a Creature- which odds were in favour of that outcome- he'd be having them in August of next year, which, whilst it seemed so far away now, would still be only a year into their relationship.

He had seriously hoped that his heat cycle would have been a year or more longer, or even that his first heat would be an infertile one, but it seemed that it was just his luck neither of his wishes wouldn't come to fruition.

But, he didn't even think for one second about getting rid of his baby. They were his, and he was already picturing their face, the joy those around him would feel when he introduced them to them, and the happiness he would feel at having a family of his own.

They entered their rooms, sitting on the sofas in silence, before Harry spoke up, his tone soft and unconfident. "Are you fine with this? I-I said that I wanted to keep it, but I didn't ask for your-"

Elian interrupted him. "Harry, in the end, it is your own choice, so if you want to keep our baby, then you will always be allowed to. However, I'll say, and I think I can speak for all of us, that we're overjoyed." Tom nodded but didn't speak, his eyes still glazed slightly, off in his own thoughts.

"I... having a child with you feels... this news-" Draco broke off, turning his head to the side to hide his face. "I am grateful that you chose me, that you love as I have loved you for years now, and with this child, everything is perfect." It was sappy and so un-Draco-like that it made him snort, but it was also just what he needed in a moment such as this.

"There's nothing more a Creature desires than their mate's happiness and children. This will bring us both, and I couldn't be happier." Blaise smiled, looking emotional, and Harry couldn't help but burst into relieved tears, sobbing into Tom's shoulder as the man tightly held him there, his fears alleviated.

21st October 1997 - Tuesday

He was walking with Hermione and Ron on Tuesday when he couldn't keep it to himself anymore. He'd never been able to keep things from his friends for long. Pulling them into a quiet alcove, he leaned in. "I'm pregnant." He whispered, delighting in their gasps.

"Oh, Harry, congratulations!"

"Congrats, ma-Harry!"

He soaked in their congratulations, smiling from ear to ear at their easy acceptance, what he needed in his current, unsure mood.

"Thanks."

"Do you know what it is?" Ron asked, grinning at him. "Bet it's a girl, it seems like they run in the family."

Harry laughed, and Hermione scowled up at her boyfriend. "Of course not, he's probably not even two weeks along!" She turned to him, that usual intellectual glint in her eyes. "Magic is amazing, seeing as how Madam Pomphrey was able to detect it so quickly!"

He shrunk back a little bit, arm covering his stomach, her words and quick movement somehow alerting an instinct within him to protect. "Yeah, I was surprised too. Mum usually only knows after a few weeks, at least, from what I remember. Pomphrey thinks I was able to detect it due to being a Creature, so I went to get checked out."

"That makes sense. I wonder if there's any difference in the development period of human children born to Creature parents." She began muttering to herself, branching off to head to the library. Ron and Harry looked at each other in resignation, following her.

Blaise wrapped an arm around him once he arrived back in their room, splaying a warm hand on his stomach as if there was a bump there already. Harry sighed, bemoaning that the protectiveness had already begun, knowing how agitated it had made his mum feel in the later days of her most recent pregnancies. "Are you feeling okay, Harry?"

"Fine, I only went for a short walk with Ron and Hermione."

"I know, but your pregnancy is fragile at the moment, I'm just worried. Nobody knocked you, right?"

"No, nothing happened, it's all good." Before he could speak again, Harry interrupted. "What are we having for lunch? Are we heading to the Great Hall, or should I help you make something?"

He had a feeling he'd be doing a lot of diverting in the next few months.

Word Count: 4.1k

Last Updated: 07/02/23

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