AN: This chapter has been beta'd by the ever wonderful Nicky Noodle.

Harry's wings twitched slightly with nervousness as he waited for Tristan to appear. He didn't really know what to expect, and he certainly wasn't going to believe the twins' story of a large needle being shoved through his wing. He knew there had to be an easy, non-painful way of getting claiming studs put in. Otherwise no one would be willing to go through with it more than once. He still remembered Ron before the Hogwarts sorting, saying that Fred and George had told him he would have to wrestle a Troll to get sorted. Harry almost snorted, an 11-year-old having to wrestle a Troll in order to be allowed to learn magic? And Ron had fallen for it. He was a little surprised that the thought of Ron didn't hurt as much as he expected it to. But he refused to think about him right now.

Fionn was sitting on the edge of the examination table, a small smile on his face as he watched Harry. You could tell just by looking at the Fae that he was both ecstatic about getting the claiming studs, and still a little surprised that it was really going to happen.

Tristan finally entered the room, carrying a small wooden box with abstract designs carved all over it. He smiled at the two waiting on him and carefully placed the box onto the counter that ran along one side of the room.

"So many people are getting this done before the Festival! It's always a pleasure to see everyone so happy, instead of the usual reasons they make appointments. So, which of you is going first?"

Harry glanced at Fionn and then folded his wings back behind him, willing himself calm. He wanted this, he just hated not knowing what was going to happen. "I will."

"Then I'll need to see Fionn over here a moment." Tristan turned back to the box and lifted off the lid as Fionn hopped down from the examination table and approached him silently. The inside of the box was divided down the middle by a thin wooden partition. On one side were tiny earrings. Each one had a clear, square-shaped setting. On the other side, were larger oval-shaped studs. "Okay, this is the easy part. Put your hand in the side with the larger settings, one of them will feel 'right'. I can't really explain it, it's different for everyone. But once you've found the one that calls to you, pull it out and hold it in the palm of your dominant hand."

Fionn reached out with his left hand and trailed his fingers through the oval-shaped studs. He dug through them carefully, and turned a number of them over, rolling them through his fingers before he finally settled on one. Pulling it out, he cradled it in the palm of his hand and looked at Tristan to see what happened next.

"Good! Now all you have to do is think about your bond. Concentrate on how much Harry means to you, the things that you went through during your Courtship, and focus that on the stud in your hand. The stone will change to reflect your magic and soul as it soaks up the memories you give it. This is why no two claiming studs are ever the same, even if they bear the same colors, or are from identical twins."

Fionn's eyes closed and a tiny frown of concentration appeared on his face. Nothing seemed to happen for long moments, and then after a while, Harry could see the clear setting was changing. As he watched, the claiming stud turned white gold, the exact same shade as the Fae's hair. And small bright golden specs appeared, they seemed to shimmer and move, dancing across the face of the stone. It was beautiful, and matched Fionn perfectly.

Tristan plucked the stud from the palm of Fionn's hand and held it up so Harry could see it better. In the very center, there was a delicate FO engraved in gold. Fionn's initials, though Harry still wasn't exactly sure why initials were needed. It wasn't like he would ever forget that that particular stud was Fionn. Harry was so lost in thought, he hadn't noticed when Tristan pulled out something else from a slot in the lid of the box. But as the Healer approached him, he focused again. It was a needle. A big needle. Harry's eyes went wide, the twins had been telling the truth?!

"Don't get upset, you won't feel a thing. I promise! We can't put the claiming studs in magically, as it interferes with the magic in the stud itself. But the needle is spelled so you won't feel anything more than a little bit of pressure. Nothing to worry about. Now take a deep breath and calm down. Then I need you to extend your right wing for me, that's it. Hold it just like that, you can close your eyes if it makes you feel better." Tristan kept up a soft murmur of words, but Harry wasn't listening, he was looking at Fionn and was determined to keep looking at the Fae until it was all over with.

He felt the Healer grasp the top edge of his wing, about halfway down the length, and something settled against the skin that was cold and smooth. He felt what he assumed was the needle, start to push, but Tristan was right. He didn't feel any pain, and then there was a pop! and the pressure was gone. Something else was now being pushed into the hole, and his wing was maneuvered around a bit, and then the Healer was releasing him and standing back with a smile. Harry looked over and saw the claiming stud gleaming from it's new home in the top edge of his wing, and all he could feel was happiness.

"The pain relieving spell will wear off in about an hour, but you shouldn't feel more than a slight soreness. Remember to twist the stud around at least once a day until the hole heals, or it will get stuck to the skin as the wound heals. And keep it clean. If it does more than sting, come right back here so we can check for infection." Tristan waited to be sure Harry was listening. "All right, you saw how it worked, so go pick out one for Fionn."

Harry jumped off the examination table and approached the box. Putting the fingers of his right hand into the smaller side, he dug around wondering what he was supposed to be feeling. They all felt exactly the same...and then he felt it. One of the earrings was hot, much hotter than it should be for just laying there in a wooden box. He pulled it out and looked at it, it looked exactly like all the rest, but he could tell that this was the one.

Holding it in his palm, he closed his eyes and thought about the Fae. From the first time he had seen him, to how much he had come out of his shell. And the look in his eyes today, when the stud was being put into Harry's wing. As he slowly opened his eyes, he was surprised at the change that had taken over the earring. He had expected it, after seeing what happened to his own stud, but it was still amazing to him. Instead of a clear stone, it was now a dark charcoal. The color of dark, dense smoke. It swirled around like a living thing, and glowing from the inside was a red ember of fire. The fire pulsed and sparked as the smoke moved.

Even as Harry stared mesmerized, Tristan was plucking it from his hand and motioning for Fionn to approach. The needle used this time was much smaller. Tristan gently pulled on Fionn's right earlobe, and the hole was quickly made, and just as quickly filled with the claiming stud. It was now official to everyone, Harry and Fionn were a mated pair. None would now dare to take either of them from the other.

Fionn's eyes were shining in happiness, and Harry could feel his own lips curling up into a smile. Had anyone told him before his birthday, that he would be living in another Realm, and for all intents and purposes, married to another guy, who wasn't even the same species, he would have sent them straight to St. Mungo's. But he couldn't imagine not having Fionn in his life now, and with all the strange creatures, the Realm was starting to feel like home. More like any home than he had ever had, even Hogwarts.

"Thank you Tristan. Come on Fi, let's go home."