28th November 1997- Friday
"What're you doing after this then, ma- uh, Harry?" Ron blustered over the word, smiling sheepishly. "Got any plans?"
Transfiguration had just ended, with yet another hour of McGonagall ignoring him, and Harry wasn't truly in the mood for anything anymore. He was disheartened by his professors' continued cold shoulder, and with no let-up of the treatment in sight, all he wanted to do was escape the classroom fast.
"Relaxing, probably. I'm still not feeling one hundred per cent. And I'm going to make some cupcakes later tonight if I feel up to it, to snack on in the-"
"Mister Potter." McGonagall's stern voice called after him suddenly, just as Harry was heading out of her classroom. He was startled at the unexpected, stony tone, waving off Hermione and Ron as they hesitated in the doorway, promising he'd meet up with them tomorrow.
He turned back to McGonagall, the door shutting behind the last people. That left them alone, and the silence continued until Harry spoke. "Yes, Professor?"
"I wished to speak with you about your absence from class last week. I found it unacceptable that you would miss a class in such an important year." She spoke primly, shuffling with some of the papers on her desk.
Confused, Harry explained. "I informed you that I was ill, Professor."
"And yet you were not in the medical wing when I checked with Madam Pomphrey later on."
The woman sounded upset, and Harry winced. He'd never enjoyed being scolded by authority figures, especially ones he was close to such as the transfiguration Professor. However, in recent weeks, McGonagall had been unexpectedly curt with Harry, and he wondered what had changed between them.
Was his new status as a Creature really that abhorrent to her?
"Professor, my mates were able to take care of it-"
"It is inappropriate to skip class for a minor sickness that can be helped with simple home remedies. I do not care for your excuses, you will be serving a detention for your unreasonable absence. I will expect you in my office at seven o'clock tonight. You may leave."
Numb, Harry exited her classroom without further argument, frowning as the door slammed shut behind him. Huffing, he stomped down the hallway, emotions bubbling within him.
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"Harry, I was just talking to Blaise about- Harry? Are you okay?"
Elian's joyous tone swiftly changed to that of concern as Harry swept into their rooms, looking ragged and dazed.
Harry, still feeling very stunned, shook his head. Elian's hands were on his shoulders immediately, the man lowering himself to meet his gaze. "What's the matter? Are you hurt? Did someone say something?"
"McGonagall..."
A thud sounded from behind them. Tom had placed his stack of papers on the table, and he was frowning, lips turned down in a scowl. "McGonagall said something to you? What about it has made you so upset?"
"Um...No, I-" He hesitated. It felt childish to him to come back just to whine about his day when his mates were so obviously busy with work, or to ruin the blatant happiness they had been feeling before Harry had entered. "She gave me a detention."
"Oh, Harry," Draco sounded mildly disappointed, and it made him shrink. "What for?" Blaise frowned by his side.
"For, um...I was late. She said to meet her in her office at seven tonight."
"Late?" Tom, his expression blank apart from a raised eyebrow, was staring at him intently. "But you left early enough."
"Me, Hermione and Ron met up and we lost track of time. We weren't that late, just a few minutes." His lie was growing more and more elaborate now, he'd have to ask his friends to go along with it when he saw them next in case one of his mates decided to go snooping. From the glint in Tom's eyes, Harry wouldn't put it past him.
"And why did they not get detention as well?"
"They just didn't, okay? Drop it." He snapped, a well of unease growing within him with every lie Harry told straight to their faces. It made him feel sick.
From the look on their faces, they most certainly didn't want to drop it, but surprisingly, Tom turned away and picked up his papers again. Draco and Blaise held his gaze for a little while longer but were drawn into conversation by Tom's commanding tone.
Only Elian remained observing him, and Harry ducked under his arms to escape into the bedroom, collapsing onto the bed once the door had closed behind him.
Face first, Harry buried his face in a pillow, sighing heavily.
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Harry made sure he was outside McGonagall's office door five minutes before seven, at the behest of his mates who didn't want the woman to penalise him any more. He knocked on the door, waiting a few moments as there was no response, lifting his hand to knock again.
Someone cleared their throat behind him. Harry, instincts flaring, span to face the Professor, who was staring at him faintly disapprovingly.
"Mr Potter, I expected you at seven."
Harry gritted his teeth but smiled instead of voicing his true feelings to her antagonistic behaviour. "I would rather be early than late, Professor."
She huffed, reaching for the door handle. "Follow me, Mr Potter."
He entered behind her, awkwardly hovering as she sat herself down behind her desk and steepled her fingers. McGonagall stared at him, her expression heavy.
"Professor-"
"Please sit, Mr Potter. I'll have you doing lines."
Gingerly, he sat on the chair before her, watching as she procured parchment, a pot of ink and a quill.
"You will be copying the words 'I must be a diligent, respecting student to avoid failure', until it is embedded into your mind. Please fill the parchment before you leave, Mr Potter."
Yet again, he said nothing, simply nodding. Harry picked up the quill, dipped it in the ink pot, and began to write whilst McGonagall read, feeling her eyes following his every move.
He finished at half nine, and by then, after two and a half hours of non-stop writing, Harry was much too tired to answer his mates' concerned questions. One tried to follow him into the bedroom, but he had already softly closed it behind him by the time they reached him. It was telling that none of them decided to bother him past that.
They must have crept into the room after he had drifted into a fitful slumber, however, as he woke up breathing heavily at four am, surrounded by their warm, comforting presences. He met Tom's red eyes, bright in the darkness, and drifted back to sleep when they softened, his worries brushed away momentarily.
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30th November 1997- Sunday
"I know the truth, Harry." Tom's voice cut through his thoughts harshly, and Harry turned, raising an eyebrow. He placed down the quill in his hand, giving the imperious man his full attention.
He was still dressed in his Ministry robes, looking smart and put together. Tom must have just come home from work, arriving when Harry was alone in their rooms. Draco and Blaise were having lunch with their friends, and Elian had gone shopping, promising to bring him something back to 'cheer him up'.
"What are you on about?" He huffed defensively, turning back to his homework.
"Your detention with McGonagall. You weren't late. You did nothing wrong within the class, either. Therefore, there can only be one thing she's bothering you about. When you missed her lesson due to your morning sickness a week back." He heard the creak of the man's shoes as he stepped closer, and Harry bit his lip harshly.
Harry sighed, deflating. "Tom, please, just leave it-"
His voice was heavy, tinged with bitterness. "I was going to, for the time being. I won't push anything, not unless you want me to-"
"I don't." Harry snapped, frowning. The man was staring at him blandly, and his fight evaporated once more.
"Unless, of course, she continues to harass you further. Another incidence like this, Harry, and I will. She is a grown woman, more than grown. Far too old to be engaging in what amounts to bullying a student under her care." He placed his briefcase down heavily on the table, opening the clasps. He wasn't even looking at Harry.
"She's not bullying me, Tom. I don't know what it is, but it's not bullying."
"Whatever it is, It's gone on long enough, from the first day of term, in fact. I would have been concerned about it even if you weren't pregnant," Tom drew in a breath, and Harry startled. "But I won't allow you to get stressed any more than is typical. You already have your exams to worry about, there's no need for Minerva to be such a bother." He hissed, and the desk made an ominous creak.
"Tom," Harry warned him, and the man backed up, sighing. His eyes were closed, and he was breathing heavily in and out through his nose, his chest heaving. It was a few more moments until Tom opened his eyes again, and they were a brighter red than usual.
"I am calm, Sweet." The endearment slipped off of the man's tongue nonchalantly, and Harry blushed. "I, however, feel strongly about this subject. Promise me, promise me, Harry," Tom met his eyes, the bloody orbs serious. Harry straightened under the intense scrutiny. "That you will tell me if she takes this any further. I will deal with it."
He nodded fervently, and the man smiled, brushing his hair back and giving him an affectionate peck on his lips.
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3rd December 1997- Wednesday
Harry was now nearly eight weeks along in his pregnancy, and finally, his morning sickness seemed to have settled in the past few days. Now, all he felt was a little queasy when first waking up, but that feeling abated by the time his lessons began.
"Today, we will be discussing a broader topic, one which is particularly important to have some formal information on before you enter our society at large." Professor Hendrix leaned back on her desk, staring at them seriously. "Of children."
Many of his classmates straightened their backs from their previously slouched postures, the room's mood visibly transforming from boredom to eagerness.
The Professor smirked. "It always is the topic that draws the most attention. It is within most Creatures' natures, after all, to desire to bring life into this world. Children-" She began, "Differ immensely across species, in their appearance, behaviour, upbringing, development, and much more. This session will only briefly dive into these differences, however in our next we will be specifically focusing on the development of Wixen and Boread children. The session after will be a discussion on Dragonborn and Veela, and the next Fae and Vampire. In the final session, we will be discussing minor Creatures, more specifically the ones that concern those who are present."
Professor Hendrix smiled at their eagerness, writing appearing on the board. "I will begin at the newborn stage."
Harry was attentive with his notes in that lesson, more so than he had in previous ones. The Professor led them through early development, the behaviour of differing species, and finished with a brief note on inheritance.
He raised his hand, and the Professor was eager to break the silence once she had finished the lecture. "Mr Potter, you have a question?"
"I have a question about the likelihood of having a Creature child."
"Ah yes. I had heard that you were expecting, I send you my dearest congratulations and blessings."
Harry blushed at the attention, especially since the class' attention had been drawn to him at her words. "Thanks."
"To answer your question, the likelihood of a Creature is dependant on what Creature's the mates are, and whose baby the Submissive is carrying. With Dragonborn and Veela, the rate is one in four, with a Submissive mate of the same species. With Fae, it is one in five. All Vampire mateships oftentimes only have a few children, so there isn't a true likelihood, and there is little to no data on the likelihood of a Boread in a Boread pairing. Some have had multiple Boread children with their Boread partner, and some have none at all. With mates of differing species, the statistics vary, so I am afraid I cannot give you an answer that would suit your situation. However, the highest likelihood is of a wixen child- that is a definite no matter the pairing."
"Thank you for answering, Professor."
"It's my job to educate you all as well as I can before you truly enter society." The woman smiled at him compassionately. "I find no greater joy than teaching the next generation."
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6th December 1997- Saturday
Thomas walked down the long hallway to his office, footsteps echoing on the walls as he marched with purpose. At his heels, a ministry employee was chattering about something inane, the insipid bother not comprehending the hint that he had more important matters to attend to than his blathering.
"-And I was most impressed by your speech concerning the rights of the non-human members of our country." The man bumbled on, still scurrying to keep up with Thomas' long strides, a smarmy grin on his face.
"Is that so?" He murmured in response, and the man brightened further with the scrap of acknowledgement, practically bouncing with every step.
"Of course! And I must say, I was thinking of proposing a bill to you concerning-"
By that point, they had reached the door of his office, and Thomas span on his heels, staring down the man with a polite but cold smile.
"If you'll excuse me, Mr. Sanders, but I have important matters to discuss with a personal relation of mine."
"Oh," The man blustered as Thomas unlocked the door, feeling the magic warding his office ripple as it accepted his magic. "Oh yes, of course! You are an incredibly busy man, I'm surprised I managed to steal just a moment of your time! But, if I may ask-"
"Good day, Mr. Sanders." He interrupted, entering his office and closing the door sharply in the man's face midsentence. There was a noise of shock from behind it before the irritating man finally gave up and walked away.
With a sigh, Thomas turned, raising his eyebrow at the glowing figure lounging comfortably at his desk. The man's hair was a golden halo around his tipped-back head, and his wings shone in the dim light of his office. With a clap, the lights brightened.
"What is it you wished to discuss, Elian?"
The Fae unwound himself from his position at his acknowledgement, standing with a lazy but confident smile. The man who had been chosen as his Second was self-assured, and for good reason. That didn't mean that it didn't slightly rankle Thomas internally to see his feet on his desk.
"You knew I was here?" He questioned instead, grinning cheekily.
Thomas busied himself with crossing his office to tidy up the papers sprawled across his desk, some wrinkled- the Fae's doing. "The wards. The only ones allowed within my office without my presence are my mates."
Elian giggled, reaching forward to brush his hand on his shoulder, wiping away whatever he had spotted. "Aw, I knew it wasn't just our Harry you had a fondness for. I'm touched, really."
"I won't ask again. What are you here for?" Thomas questioned the man sharply, his temper already flared from dealing with self-absorbed employees all morning.
The Fae's bright demeanour dropped then, and Thomas felt a sharp thrill zip up his spine and the thunderous expression that replaced it. Harry, unknowingly, had chosen a Creature that felt similar to his own. It was a boon to them all, however, as Elian was strong, and would protect their mateship with any means he could. Thomas would have felt stifled grouped with such light personalities, otherwise.
"What has upset him?" The Fae hissed, his golden eyes glowing with unnatural light.
As a Creature born, raised with his attributes and the emotions of a Creature, they were far more willing to make their appearance. Especially as the man was in such a protective state of mind.
His submissive had been wronged, after all.
They both knew who he was asking about.
"McGonagall." Was his clipped response, delighting at the feral growl that tore its way out of the Fae's throat, watching as the man's wings flared.
"That hag, I knew she was no good the moment she snubbed him at dinner!" His second raged, fists clenching by his sides. Elian's magic was roiling violently, but the Fae kept it contained, a feat with how agitated the swirling, powerful mass was.
Another thought came to Thomas' mind then, that Harry had unknowingly collected mates that were some of the most powerful young Creature's available in his age bracket. It had been Elian Luwynn's first meeting, and luckily for the Fae, he had been chosen before being thrown to the masses of other submissives who would have killed each other to add him and his royal blood to their line. Harry had done so without knowledge of the man's position in their society, or of his magical prowess.
Thomas himself was, of course, one of the strongest Vampires who dealt with the magical world. His magical knowledge was perhaps only bested by those who had yet to publicly reveal themselves.
And Draco and Blaise weren't anything to scoff at. They were the most powerful of the cohort at Hogwarts, next to Harry himself. In all, Harry had collected the best of the best, and he would have to suffer the consequences of their personalities for the millennia to come.
"I have spoken with Harry, Elian," Thomas reassured, watching as the pot of ink on his desk rattled slightly as the Fae's anger grew. "He has acknowledged that McGonagall has been... harassing him, but he doesn't wish for me to pry unless she continues."
Elian drew in a sharp breath through his nose, wings fluttering. "Good." He spoke shortly, folding his arms. The Fae eyes were still bright with magic, and the air was tingling with power. "And we will be there to sort things out and comfort him when she does. Because I know these sorts of people, Tom. She's scared. Not of Harry, I can still see fondness in her eyes when she looks at him, but of us, of the mates he has chosen. And as the one she can access the most, McGonagall will end up hurting him in the process."
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11th December 1997- Thursday
Draco rustled the papers in his hands, breathing out heavily through his nose.
To his left, Blaise was leant back on the sofa, dozing contently.
It was a calm day. He, Blaise and Harry had finished their Defense class early, so there was the whole day to look forward to. However, both his mates seemed to have other plans, mainly to sleep the afternoon away. It was explainable in Harry's case, the pregnancy was taking a lot out of the Fae, but the other dominants had little excuse to be asleep during the afternoon.
Elian was with their mate in the bedroom, his instincts closer to the surface recently. Slightly feral, the man had insisted he should guard him as he slept. Too tired to argue as vehemently as usual, Harry was using the Fae as a body pillow, so both were content.
Draco found a kindred spirit in Tom, who was also browsing a large file of paperwork, but he didn't wish to disturb the man while his brow was so furrowed.
So, the Boread was left to pretend to be occupied, his leg bouncing.
"Draco." Came the smooth voice of the Vampire, and his head shot up, leg ceasing its movement.
"My apologies." He instinctively spoke, wincing at the man's stare.
"Would you like to go for a walk?" The man asked instead of focusing back on his work, and he blinked in surprise.
"Should we not stay and watch over them whilst they sleep?"
Tom shook his head, standing. "I have ensured there are plenty of wards surrounding our rooms, and more surrounding the bedroom. Elian is awake, he wouldn't fall asleep in the state he's in. Harry is protected, and Blaise will wake if anyone attempts to enter forcefully. Let us go for a walk, I can feel your magic bubbling."
Draco blushed, clearing his throat. His magic always spiked when he was bored. It was embarrassing and had yet to cease despite coming into adulthood.
Following the man, he placed his papers neatly on the coffee table, glancing one last time at Blaise to see the man had opened an eye, gazing at their retreating forms sleepily, although with growing cognisance.
As class was still in session, the corridors were empty but for the occasional sixth or seventh year that was also enjoying their new freedom of only one or two classes a day, but they steered clear of the pair.
He and Tom walked in silence, turning down twisting corridors that Draco was unfamiliar with until they stepped out into an open space, the sky a clear blue above them, the chill of winter biting.
Stopping suddenly, Draco stumbled to halt after him, turning to gaze at the man.
"Tom?" He questioned, seeing the man's serious expression.
"I understand that neither you nor Blaise share all of Harry's classes, but for those you do, please ensure that you watch out for him, and stop any harassment."
Draco furrowed his eyebrows. "I do. But, what has brought this on?"
"McGonagall," Tom spat, and Draco reared back slightly at his bitter tone. "Has been rather snide as of late. It has upset Harry. I want there to be no more repeats of this from the other Professor's, especially those who may be more susceptible to dislike towards darker Creatures."
"McGonagall has been harassing Harry? She adores him, she's great friends with his parents."
Tom nodded, and Draco hissed his displeasure. "I have spoken to him, he does not wish for us to involve ourselves unless she continues to harass him unjustly. I wished for you to be aware. I have already informed Blaise, but this could not be said within Harry's earshot. I do not wish to upset him further if he overhears us discussing these matters behind his back."
Draco nodded seriously. "I won't let anything else happen to him."
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14th December 1997- Sunday
Harry clenched his hand into a fist as he sat on the hospital bed, watching as Madam Pomphrey waved her wand in front of his stomach, breathing in deeply through his nose.
It was his first scan today, and his nerves were shot through the room sitting in the hospital wing. He was just over nine weeks along in his pregnancy, so it was admittedly a little early, but depending on what species his baby was, or babies, he could be closer to the end than he liked.
"What's wrong, Madam Pomphrey?" Harry asked with a shaky voice when he thought too much time had passed, Elian shifting to his right and his three other mates shuffling to his left.
"Nothing, nothing, Mr Potter." The woman was quick to reassure him. "I'm having a little trouble locating-ah!" She exclaimed joyfully, waving her wand up in the air to produce a screen. It was a fuzzy, blurry mass of grey at first, and Harry wasn't too sure what he was looking at until the mediwitch began to point to sections of it. "Mr Potter, you are looking at an image of your baby. Here they are," She pointed to a greyish blob moving gently in the middle, rocking back and forth with every breath he took. "And here-" Madam Pomphrey paused, zooming in closer. "Is their heartbeat."
Harry gasped, sitting up straighter now that he knew that the image he was seeing was the baby growing so perfectly in his belly. They were tiny, barely distinguishable from their surroundings, but already, Harry was so deeply in love with them.
"That's... my baby?"
"Yes, Mr Potter. And from the looks of it, they appear to be healthy." She waved over his stomach again, and the image shifted, showing darkness. Madam Pomphrey seemed to search for something for a few more moments, before returning the focus to his baby. "And it appears that it is just the one baby at that."
Harry reached a hand forward when she moved back to the blob that was the baby growing in his belly, stroking gentle fingers over the image.
"And they are measuring right on schedule, just over nine weeks, which is wonderful."
Measuring on schedule meant that there was a higher likelihood that his child wasn't a Creature, or at least not one that differed from a usual human pregnancy. That ruled out their baby being a Fae or a Vampire, something which was relieving. Harry didn't know if he'd be able to cope, with caring for such an incredibly fragile life as first-time parents.
Harry tearfully glanced over at his mates, seeing that they were as engrossed in the image of their child as he was- there were even tears in Elian's eyes.
"Can...Is there any way we can have a photo of that?" Harry questioned, pointing at the image. Madam Pomphrey smiled and nodded, and Harry grinned.
"I will create you some as soon as the scan has concluded. There are just some last nuances that I need to measure. After this scan, however, I will advise you to seek out a Creature Healer for a more professional opinion on your pregnancy. A mediwitch I may be, I only hold the qualifications necessary to deal with school-induced injuries. You may, however, visit me if you have any concerns, as I am knowledgeable enough to help."
"Thank you, Madam Pomphrey." Harry thanked her sincerely, his gaze still focused on his baby, who was happily growing as they should.
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Word Count: 4.4k
Just the one baby this time ^-^ When planning, I thought it best Harry has a relatively easy first pregnancy :) He has plenty of multiples in the years to come, but baby One is a singleton ^-^
That still leaves the question of whether they'll be a boy or girl, but you'll have to wait for the birth to find out :)
I've been working on the Luwynn family recently, I'm making it easy for myself so only Elian's parents, siblings and some nephews and nieces will appear in this story :)
The McGonagall plotline won't drag on for too long, she just is wary about Tom being Harry's mate- It isn't a McGonagall bashing fic, the only person who will be bashed is Umbridge if she makes an appearance ^-^
Next chapter will be the Christmas Holidays and the Boread meeting
Thanks for reading!
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