If He's Anything Like Me
By Ammie Hawk
Disclaimer: PHFFFTTTT
AN: Okay, so yeah, this took me over seven months to get out... I think it's worth the wait... but that's just me... Anyway, let's get this over with...
Chapter 3: Accepting the Truth
"Wufei?" the tall unibanged Preventer glanced out of the corner of his eye at his husband, who was currently sitting in the passenger seat of his truck.
"Trowa," the Chinese man didn't take his eyes off the road ahead of them, even though he wasn't driving.
"Talk to me," Trowa reached over and gently picked up his lover's hand and entwined their fingers. "How did you know?"
"Know what?" the former Shenlong pilot sighed, running his free hand along his scalp and scowling as his hair came loose.
"About the boy?"
"Oh, that," Wufei squeezed his husband's hand before extricating his own so he could fix his ponytail. "When I walked into that room that he was being kept in, I saw his eyes. It was like looking into yours, behind those hideous glasses. I brushed it off at first as foolish sentimentality."
"Of course," emerald eyes danced with suppressed mirth, trust his stubborn dragon to come up with any excuse like that.
"I took him downstairs, to get him out of the house," his hand returned to the middle seat and his husband's, since the raven hair was once again trapped in it's impossibly tight tail. "As is standard procedure, I informed Heero of my plans to take him to the car. Heero came out of the other room, for what reason I'm not sure, took one look at him and said something that had been niggling at the back of my mind since I first laid eyes on him. He called him Duo."
"He does bear a striking resemblance to Duo," Trowa nodded, a slight frown creasing his forehead.
"But once again, it was his eyes," the Asian Preventer shook his head slightly and continued. "There is no denying that they are yours. And if my estimation of his birth was correct, it could've corresponded with our time at the circus, after I failed to kill Treize."
The former Heavyarms pilot's brow furrowed further before smoothing out in comprehension, "Oh."
"I thought why not," Wufei smirked. "Every time we come together and have sex, we run the risk of getting pregnant, due to our magical bases, and your creature side. Why couldn't Duo have been the same? I wasn't going to say anything until it was proven, but after it was I was going to demand that Une give us custody, since it appeared to be obvious that Duo wasn't going to take care of him. That was proven false though."
"So you had no idea about the Amortentus thing," it was more of a statement than a question, but Wufei took it as such.
"No," the raven haired man scowled. "That was new. But I can't say I am complaining. It makes the boy my son as well."
"As well as Heero and Quatre's, apparently," Trowa offered a wry smile.
"Yes, that too," onyx eyes rolled slightly. "Together we will make it up to that boy."
"I know," Trowa squeezed his husband's hand one last time before putting the truck in park and cutting the engine. They had arrived.
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Harry lay on his back in the bedroom that he had been shown to. He wasn't sure what was going on, but he knew he didn't want to be around his hosts any longer than he had to be. He hadn't even known the blond angel very long, but he had already sent him to tears. What he really wanted was for Agent Shenlong, or rather Mr. Barton-Chang, to show up. He didn't know why, but he trusted the Chinese man to keep his word.
He was brought from his musings by a soft knocking on his door. He quickly scrambled to his feet and hurried over to answer it. He didn't want his hosts to think him rude or anything, on top of everything else.
"Oh, Harry," the blond was there, smiling down at him, just like his vision in the Mirror, "there you are. The others have just arrived and we'll be having lunch in a few minutes. If you would go wash up, I'll wait here and escort you to the dining room."
"Yes, sir," the small wizard nodded and hastily moved to comply, completely missing the frown that crossed the man's face at his words and actions.
He returned from his en-suite bathroom not five minutes later and followed Quatre down the stairs and into the dining room, where the other five men from before were already seated and waiting. He hesitated in the doorway for a moment at the sight of his Potions professor, but quickly shook it off. He squared his shoulders and held his head high, he wasn't going to cower in front of Snape, he was a Gryffindor after all.
"Why don't you go sit next to Wufei?" the Winner heir suggested with a gentle hand to the boy's back to propel him forward.
Harry nodded slightly and began making his way over to the seat between the Chinese agent and the tall brunet. When he reached his seat, he couldn't help but shyly return the smile the agent was sending his way.
"Harry," the man on his left spoke quietly, and Harry, slightly startled, turned his full attention to him. "Relax, little one, no one's going to hurt you. I don't know if you remember Lady Une introducing us before, but I am Trowa Barton-Chang. I'm sure the others will introduce themselves in again in a bit. Before they do, however, I'm going to ask you to be patient with us. None of us have done this before."
"Done what?" emerald eyes blinked confusedly behind the glasses, somehow this new person wasn't as scary as the others.
"None of us have been parents before, Harry," Quatre spoke up from his spot just to the right of Heero, who was at the head of the table. "We're all learning here. But I know we'll make it work."
"Okay," Harry frowned, still very much confused. "But which one of you is my dad?"
"Don't ya get it, kiddo?" the braided man at the far end grinned. "We all are."
"But that's not possible," the frown deepened. "Don't I need a mom?"
He may not know the fundamentals of childbirth, but he did know that everyone had one mom and one dad. Sometimes they weren't always together, but that didn't mean they didn't have one.
"Nope, cause you're special like that," Duo shook his head emphatically. "You got something better than a mom, you got five dads, well, six, if you count Sev here."
"No," Harry shook his head wildly, that didn't make any sense.
"That's enough, Harry," Wufei's calm voice and his hand on the boy's shoulder stopped all movement. "I know it's confusing. But you have to trust us. Sometimes, when a couple of the same gender possess enough magic between them, they can have children. Due to Duo being a magical creature, you were created from the DNA of all five of us. You are our son."
"So it's magic?" the Boy-Who-Lived asked, amazed. "Wait, you know about magic?"
"Yes," the former Shenlong pilot smirked. "All of us here have magic, in one form or another. I, myself, am a fully qualified wizard, as is Heero, though his magic also manifests itself in his healing ability. If we were to duel, I might have the advantage in spell work, but he has the advantage in stamina."
"Okay," Harry nodded slowly, taking it all in. "So you're smarter and he's stronger?"
The reaction to this innocent statement was instantaneous: Heero turned blank blue eyes on the boy, Quatre covered his mouth to stifle his giggles, while Trowa coughed quietly, clearly amused, and Duo snorted his drink all over the table.
"Basically," onyx eyes rolled slightly in good humor. "Quatre, on the other hand, is an empath, and has a strong mental capacity. This means that he can not only read peoples emotions, but also, if he tried, could get inside someone's head and read their minds. He also has very strong mental defenses of his own."
"Is that why...?" green eyes turned to stare at the blond.
"Yes, Harry, that's why I was upset earlier," Quatre smiled gently. "Apparently, my normal shields don't work around you."
"Oh," Harry bowed his head. "I'm sorry."
"It wasn't your fault," Heero spoke up for the first time. "You didn't know."
"Okay," he shrunk into himself a bit at this, something they all noticed, but would let slide for now, they had all the time in the world to correct the things done to this boy in the past.
"Trowa and Duo are easier, yet harder to explain," Wufei sighed quietly, bringing things back to the topic at hand. "They are both magical creatures."
"What?" amethyst eyes widened as they landed on the unibanged man. "No way? What're you?"
"I'm an elf," the former clown supplied calmly.
"Nuh uh, no way," Duo shook his head animatedly. "You can't be an elf. You ain't got the ears. So there."
"I am a high elf, Duo," the one visible green eye narrowed slightly, as if it's owner were highly insulted. "I wear a glamor to keep them hidden, unlike you and your mating mark."
"Enough," Prussian blue eyes shifted coldly between the two creatures.
Trowa straightened imperiously in his chair, as Duo slouched lower, his arms crossed over his chest in a pout. Heero then motioned for Wufei to continue, as if there hadn't been an interruption at all.
"As I was saying," the scholar had risen and was now refusing to be silent, "Trowa is, as he stated, an elf. Elves, in general, are creatures of nature and that is where they derive their magic. High elves, such as Trowa, are not restricted to a specific area or type of nature to make their magic work, like wood elves who are strongest within the forest and among the trees. High elves are also capable of performing simple wizarding spells, but they do not use a wand as a medium."
"I see," Harry nodded, that was easy enough. "Are they anything like house-elves? Cause I don't like them very much."
"No," the unibanged man frowned. "House-elves are an entirely different race of creature."
"Okay," the boy cowered lower in his seat, hoping he didn't turn Trowa's anger on himself with his question.
"Now, Duo," Wufei cleared his throat, "is an Amortentus, if his mate is to be believed."
"Don't you dare, Wufei," amethyst eyes narrowed dangerously as Duo growled down the table. "Don't you dare insult my mate's integrity."
"Duo," Snape's cold voice was quiet, but carried across the room easily, "it's not worth it. He is entitled to his own opinion."
"Amortentus are exceedingly rare," the Chinese agent shook his head, glaring slightly at the braided man for his interruption. "It is rumored that there is only one per generation. They are creatures of pure lust and love. It is said that their essence is what inspired the creation of the Amortentia potion, as their scent is supposedly unique to each individual they come across. They are rumored to be quite social creatures, as they feed of heightened emotions, much like a dementor but without the draining quality. They are also often mistaken for incubi and succubi."
"Ookaay," Duo blushed scarlet. "That's enough, Wuffers, we don't want to overwhelm the cub, here. Why don't you head upstairs and unpack, Yasu, us grown ups need to have a word or two."
"Um, okay," Harry frowned, and then looked around at the assembled adults, worrying his lip slightly.
"Did you need something, Harry?" Quatre asked quietly, feeling the uncertainty radiating off the boy.
"Um, I was wondering if I could use the phone," he bowed his head, his voice barely above a whisper. "I wanted to call a friend of mine."
"That's fine," the blond beamed. "You go right ahead. Remember, this is your home now."
"Thank you," he muttered, but still hesitated to leave the room.
"Was there something else?" Wufei placed his hand gently on his son's shoulder, still not quite used to that fact.
"Um," Harry bit his lip harder, "I don't know her phone number. But I know she has one."
"It is called a phone book, Potter," Snape rolled his eyes in slight annoyance. "I'm sure you are familiar with one. Miss Granger will undoubtedly be listed within it's pages. Then again, with your history, it would probably escape the grasp of your puerile brain."
Five sets of eyes turned and glared at the Potions Master, while Harry slumped lower in his chair. He quickly blinked back a wave of angry and bitter tears. It wasn't his fault that Hermione hadn't given him her number, nor that the Dursleys had never let him near the phone, much less use it.
"Harry," Quatre's tone was deceptively soft as he turned his attention to the boy, but the other pilots knew that ZERO was simmering just beneath the surface, "come along. I'll help you find your friend's number."
As soon as the door closed behind the pair, Duo turned hurt, incredulous eyes on his husband.
"Severus, you promised," the braided man's voice was even more pitiful than his eyes.
"I'm sorry," the Potions Master sighed, pulling his mate into his arms. "I am trying. Though you should know better than anyone, some habits are harder to break than others."
"Mr. Snape," the former Sandrock pilot's voice was cold as he returned to the room and closed the door behind him, the others instinctively sat up straighter in slight anxiety. "You would do well to remember that you are a guest within my house and I reserve the right to kick your sorry ass out at any point in time. So you will watch your tongue around my son. This will be your only warning. If you hurt that boy in any way, be it physically or emotionally, I will destroy you."
"Quatre," Heero said quietly.
"No, Heero," the blond didn't even shift his gaze away from his intended target. "I will not tolerate his attitude within my house."
"Quatre," the shaggy haired brunet got to his feet and went over to his lover, wrapping his arms around him protectively, "calm down." Prussian blue eyes then turned and landed squarely on Snape, "You upset anyone else in my family, Omae o kurosu (1)."
The cold, dead tone of the former Wing pilot sent shivers down everyone's spines, including the Potions Master, who wasn't sure what was said, but knew it was meant as a threat. He'd have to do a much better job of controlling his tongue from now on, those two in particular were almost more terrifying than his mate on a rampage, going by the title Shinigami.
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Harry held the phone to his ear as it rang. He had been rather impressed with how easily the blond, Quatre, had found Hermione's number and placed the call for him. So now he was alone in the hallway, waiting for someone at his friend's house to pick up. Well, hopefully it was his friend's house.
"Granger residence, this is Jean speaking," a woman's voice finally answered.
"Um, hello," the boy said nervously, "um I was wondering if Hermione was there?"
"May I ask who's calling?" Jean asked kindly.
"Um, this is Harry," he bit his lip. "I'm a friend of Hermione's, from school."
"Of course, just a moment please."
Harry waited patiently, trying desperately to calm his breathing. He wasn't sure about this anymore. While, yes, he wanted to talk to Hermione, this was just too nerve-wracking.
"Hello?" a very familiar female voice came on the line.
"Hermione," he laughed quietly, glad that he had the right number.
"Harry!" Hermione said anxiously. "Where are you? What's been going on? We've been really worried about you. Ron was talking about doing something drastic. Why haven't you been writing us back?"
"It's a very long story, Hermione," Harry leaned against the wall and slipped slowly to the floor so he was now seated. "But I haven't written because a house-elf stopped my mail. And the Dursleys locked Hedwig in her cage. I got in trouble with the Ministry cause the house-elf, Dobby, did magic and the Dursleys locked me in my room."
"What?" his best friend sounded truly upset. "How are you calling? Do we need to come and get you?"
"No, Hermione, that's not needed," he sighed. "I'm not at the Dursleys anymore. The Preventers came and took me away. And I'm currently at my dads' house."
"But Harry," Hermione was frowning, he could tell, "your parents are dead."
"Actually, they're not, according to the Preventers," Harry shrugged, not that she could see it. "They said that I wasn't related to the Potters or the Dursleys. And I have five dads..." he muttered the last quietly.
"WHAT?" he had to hold the phone away from his ear so he didn't bust an eardrum. "Harry, you know that's not possible. It's just inconceivable. Five men can't have a child together, it's physically impossible."
"Well, magic was involved, and creatures," the raven haired wizard sighed. "I don't get it either, but that's what they said, and I believe them. Two of them are wizards, one's an empath, and the other two are creatures, a High Elf and an Amortentus. Maybe I can get them to explain ti to you later, I'm sure we'll see each other soon. I mean, I'm gonna have to go shopping for school and everything."
"I'll look into it and see if I can't find anything on the subject," Hermione said, taking a deep breath. "And if nothing else, we'll see each other on the train. I'm planning on going to Diagon Alley a week from Wednesday, so maybe we can plan to meet there. I'll write Ron and let him know that you're okay."
"Okay, I'll see if I can't go at that point," he replied. "And thanks, Hermione. Oh, and I think you can call me at this number... um, I don't know it, but I'll try and call again and I'll have it then. I'll talk to you later."
"Alright, bye Harry."
"Bye," he said quietly before he ended the call and placed the phone back on its charger.
He stood there for a moment in indecision. He didn't want to bother the adults, as Duo had said they needed to talk. He was kinda tired, and he did have his things to put away. With that thought in mind, he made his way up the stairs to his new bedroom.
(1. I'll kill you in Japanese)
Ammie: Okay, this chapter has been floating around in my head since Christmas... but tempramental muses and RL are pains so it took forever. However, I hope ya'll enjoy my efforts, and please let me know what ya think.