Harry was seeing red, it was a good thing his Demon magics were out of reach for now, otherwise he thought he just might have set Rialyn on fire. As he was imagining those blood-red braids going up in flames, he was jerked from his daydream by Ash.

The moment they had all hit the corridor, she called Air and transported them to her house. The only time Harry could remember her calling Air to get them somewhere in the Realm, had been the day he rescued Fionn. And if he had thought he was pissed, it was nothing compared to the look on Ash's face when they arrived. She immediately began pacing the sitting room, her wings snapping out and mantling around her as she paced. Finally she looked up at all of them and pointed from them to the furniture.

"Sit. Now."

Everyone hurried to obey, Ash in this kind of mood was quite scary, and no one had any idea just what had set her off. Harry and Fionn got the couch, with George beside Fionn, and Fred grabbed an armchair near George. Ash paced a few more times, took a breath, and then turned to look at them all.

"I'm guessing by your lack of reaction during most of what Rialyn did, that your Demon magics aren't the only thing the brand is affecting. Or were you suppressing your instincts for some reason?" She looked directly at Harry and waited.

Fionn looked surprised, and then thoughtful, settling a little more firmly against Harry's side. Harry just looked confused for a moment. "Instincts? It was obnoxious, and I wanted to smack him, but I also wanted to know what they found out. So I waited and yelled at him after Djuran explained." He still looked a little uncertain, as though he wasn't sure that's what Ash was asking him.

Ash sighed and closed her eyes, visibly reigning in her temper and settling her wings back into a relaxed state. Flopping down in another armchair across from the couch, she finally spoke again. "I'm not mad at you Harry. Apparently I didn't explain some things as well as I thought. Okay. Let's try this. Courtship. Two people enter into it to see if they are as compatible as they think, and at the end of it, the one being Courted accepts the other into a mateship or does not. Yes?"

Harry nodded silently, he had no idea where this was going, but was beginning to feel that sinking sensation. The one he got when some new twist on his screwed up life reared it's head.

"And when Courtship begins, one person asks the other formally, and is accepted formally, in front of at least one witness. Yes?"

Harry nodded again.

"Which is when it becomes a magically binding contract." Ash paused to let that sink in a moment.

Harry's eyes went huge, magically binding...and he had almost no access whatsoever to his Demon magics. Was this part of why he always felt so out of step with what was going on? With what Fionn was obviously expecting from him? Not just that he didn't know the stuff the Realm-born knew, and not just that Fionn was broken and seemed to need him more than Harry thought was good for him. But there was actually something that was supposed to be guiding him, and it wasn't working because of that bloody brand?

"Does that mean that Harry and Fionn aren't actually Courting? Since he can't access his Demon abilities, so can't enter a magical contract?" Fred asked.

Ash shook her head, at the same time as Fionn tightened his grip on Harry's arm. "No. Fionn's half of the Courtship magics are in full affect. As you noticed in the room today. That was hardly in character for him, or at least, not in character as he is now. The Courtship is in effect, it's just... skipping... the parts that Harry is supposed to be dealing with. And that leaves a large hole in the magics. Normally, when you are Courting, you can feel to a small extent, the needs of the others in the Courtship. Harry doesn't appear to be getting that part of it. When someone tries to flirt with one who is Courting, that triggers an instinctual response, that of protecting the potential mateship, not allowing anyone else to break them apart. Only since Harry's magic can't connect with Fionn's the way it's supposed to, that made Fionn's instinct kick into higher gear than usual. You can add more people to the Courtship, if all current people agree, though that's rare. But that was not what Rialyn was trying to do. And so Fionn's instinct was telling him that he had to remove the threat."

Harry slid an arm around Fionn, pulling him a little closer against his side. All the various little hurts that he had done to the Fae, without knowing what he had done, or how to fix them, could have all been avoided if only he didn't have that brand on him! Harry's eyes narrowed a little as he thought. That just made him even more determined to do what he had to do, to get rid of it as soon as possible. He hadn't been as concerned as he should have been, since it didn't seem to be affecting his Wizarding magics. But he could now see that he should have been more worried, more focused on getting rid of it.

"I think that once the brand is removed, that Harry's half of the Courtship magics should snap into place. But it's possible that the Courtship will have to be re-started. I don't know. The other thing that concerns me at the moment... Djinn's don't do anything for free. And Djuran said nothing about what he would require as payment for removing the brand from you Harry. For that matter, neither did Rialyn. Since he doesn't work for a specific hospital, his fee won't fall under the normal ones for a hospital visit. And they're both experts in Soul Magics. Which means they most likely won't ask you for money."

"They can't have him. I won't accept either of them into our Courtship." Fionn's voice was soft, but quite fierce in his declaration.

"I wouldn't agree to that even if they asked Fionn. Eternity with Rialyn is enough to make me want to take my chances on finding another way." Harry squeezed Fionn's side lightly, and the Fae leaned back against him again.

"So, I have a question. Just how are you able to sit in chairs and couches without your wings getting bent?" Fred grinned, quite obviously trying to lighten the mood a bit.

Ash rolled her eyes. "Magic. The same spells that make our clothes able to pass our wings through, allows the furniture to do the same. You're a Wizard, did you really need to ask that?"

George snickered at his brother, and ducked when Fred tried to smack him on the head. "How does the government here work? Is there a separate government for each type of creature?"

"Yes... and also no." Ash grinned at the looks she received for that answer. "There is a High Council, which is the ruling body of the Realm. Each species has a seat, divided by type. For the Demons, we have the Lord of the Flame, Lady of the Storm, Lord of the Shadow, Lord of the Water, Lady of the Air, and the Lord of the Earth. Your friend Gideon, Harry, is the nephew of the Lord of the Shadow. And Herne is the grandson of the Lord of the Earth. There is a meeting once a year, where anyone can bring requests and complaints before the Council. However, you must submit your request to your representative beforehand, so they can be sorted through. Don't want to have to sit through a bunch of the exact same complaints and requests. They are the ones who make all the laws, and see that everyone obeys them. It's a hereditary post, but the current Lord or Lady chooses their successor from their own bloodline. Which means that everyone in the immediate family is always trying to become the favorite so they're chosen once the current Lord or Lady gets tired of the post and steps down."

"Each of the four branches of the Fae have a seat, but I'm not sure who holds them right now." Fionn looked a touch embarrassed to admit that he did not know which of his people currently held seats. Though it was understandable as he hadn't been in any kind of position where he could follow that sort of thing.

"Four branches? Do you mean there are four main kinds of Fae?" Harry asked curiously.

Fionn nodded. "There are four main branches of Fae, each branch has a specific Fae Gift that only that branch can command. We gain other Gifts as we age, and depending on what kind of things we're exposed to. If one of us falls off a cliff, we might gain the Gift of flight, or we might just die. It's hard to tell what we will receive, and when. The Golden Fae are all Illusionists." He lifted a hand, and a golden butterfly made entirely of shimmering light fluttered around his fingers before vanishing again. "The Indigo Fae are all Seers. Lotus Fae have Voice Magics, and Centaury Fae are Shape-Shifters."

Fred whistled. "With all the different magics you lot have, it must be quite a trick to keep everyone in line. And we thought it was bad in the Wizarding Realm with all the different people and creatures!"

"It is bad Gred. Remember the Ministry? And Fudge? Can't have forgotten him already!"

"True. And I was trying to forget him, now that's dashed! Thanks Forge."

Harry laughed and shook his head. It seemed the twins would never change, and that was good. So many things in his life were changing at a moments notice as it was. He couldn't help but wish that there was a way to keep Fred and George around, the thought of them growing old and dying while he stayed young looking and lived forever... he didn't want to think about it. So for now, he wouldn't. He didn't even realize that he had been successfully distracted, and Fionn too. Fred and George shot each other grins while no one was watching. Mission accomplished.

AN:

Indigo is a color that is linked to other senses, your "third eye", and being able to see beyond the normal. So I felt it was fitting for the name of the Seer branch of Fae. Lotus was used in ancient times as an aphrodisiac, as well as to control the minds of slaves. Hence, being the name of the Fae who have Voice Magics. Centaury is an herb long thought to help with shape-shifting. Sorry for the delay in this chapter, and it isn't even beyond the normal word count. Work has been evil this week! Don't forget to check the forum for review replies. Link can be found on my profile.