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Nevarah: Earth sector - Kalzik Estate - Patients’ Wing

Neville listened avidly to Patrick’s recounting of his parent’s condition. Their blood work had not come back with any of the control potions but it had revealed that St. Mungos had been keeping them on potions that would in effect keep them lethargic so that they were calm and docile. Patrick also told him about what Quinn had determined when he went into his mother’s mind. He was given more information about them in twenty minutes than he had had in all his previous years combined.

His parents had a private room which consisted of a large bed, an attached bathroom, and a sitting area with a fireplace. The room was done in earth tones and was set with a ward that would help to soothe their Earth element.

As Patrick had suspected, they were both asleep when they arrived. Neville moved forward and sat on the edge of the bed on his father’s side but he was watching them both. Even like this, Neville could see a difference. In St. Mungo’s, his parents had never looked this relaxed. There had always been something rigid in their form, even in sleep.

Patrick was standing near the door with Fawkes. “They have been on the potions for so long that we will have to wean them off of them to avoid withdrawals. But as you can see, even allowing them a short break off those potions allows them to be more comfortable.”

 “Will they have to stay here?”

“For the moment, yes. I want to carefully monitor them as they come off the potions. We can revisit whether they stay here or if your Circle can manage their care from your own home after we truly understand what they need.”

Neville bit his lip in distress but Fawkes moved forward and squeezed his shoulder. “Your parents are strong and I believe they will do well. Now I know the situation is different, but consider the problems that are arising between Harry and Petunia. Everyone assumed that there would not be any problems living together and that is proving otherwise. We all know Petunia is distressing Harry but he is too afraid to lose his support of his other parents by speaking against her.”

Neville nodded and Fawkes left him with his parents and returned to Patrick’s side.

Patrick hummed. “What is going on with that?” he asked.

“I am not privy to all the discussions but from what I have gathered, now that the Gheyo King—Kae—is here, he is taking charge. He is keen to see Petunia, Remus, and Sirius move back in with the Evansons when their Circle returns home so that Petunia can receive scheduled treatment for her mental distress. This is their plan because firstly—Petunia responds best to Remus and Sirius because they were the last Bonded taken from her. And secondly, Sirius needs consistent training with Briar to stabilise his Hellhound side.”

Patrick sighed and nodded before saying, “That does logically make sense and it would leave Adam and Lochlan—whom Harry has bonded fast with—still on the island with him.”

“Theo insists that Sirius and Remus will be allowed to come visit whenever they desire because they are so important to Harry, but Kae is insisting on a somewhat strict schedule for Sirius. Apparently he is a Gheyo who does better when that part of his life is structured and regimented and he is allowed to be carefree and mischievous the rest of the time.”

Patrick nodded. He was familiar with that type of Gheyo. “I will leave you both for now. When Neville is ready to go home just press this rune and someone will come to escort you to the portal room. Press the one beside it if you need anything or he has any more questions.” Fawkes nodded and after Patrick had left, he went to the chair nearest the fireplace. He silently watched over Neville and his parents.

-----

In another part of the wing, Briar leaned into Orchid as they finished receiving the overview of the condition their Bonded were in. They were given a brief, less detailed report for Jun’s remaining parents, just to explain the context of why their Bonded were all still under the care of the Kalzik Clan when they could all be released to seek treatment in their own time with their preferred Healers.

For their own, it was more than Briar had been expecting. He had obviously not shaken off his deep depression because he had been silently preparing himself for the worst-case scenarios. Orchid hugged him tightly and nuzzled her claim mark on him. The look in her eyes said that she had known exactly what he had been thinking all this time.

Briar whimpered but he cut it off in a sharp gasp when the door to the sitting room they were in opened to reveal Rian. Briar rushed his Beta and threw himself into his arms. Rian met Orchid’s eyes and was reassured at what he saw. They were all fine—Briar was just upset and overwhelmed.

Rian walked to the sofa Orchid was on and sat down. “It is alright, Aasil. We are home.”

Briar’s claws dug into his skin. Orchid rubbed Briar’s back as she spoke, “A lot has happened since you've been Hunting.”

“I knew it would but it had to be done. I shudder to think what could have happened if that time bubble had not been discovered. Are you all well at least?”

“We are all in perfect health. We are all just an emotional mess—which will be lovely for Jun.”

“Jun will deal with it.” Orchid and Briar both stiffened at the sound of their Alpha’s voice. Jun was in the doorway with their Suite. The Gheyos moved into the room and spread out while Jun crossed to the sofa. Orchid got up, trailing her hand up Jun’s arm as they traded spaces

Briar reached for her face and Jun leaned in to press her forehead to his as he cupped her cheek. “I am sorry, love. I should have been more careful.”

“You did not get captured on purpose,” Briar murmured but his jaw clenched as the deep feelings of despair washed through him.

Jun hissed as she felt his emotion and pulled him into her arms. “Ergen be damned. Briar, I am here, love. It is over now.” Briar broke down and sobbed into her throat as he clung to her.

Sobs subsiding, Briar hissed through clenched teeth, “I thought you were gone. I couldn’t feel you and I just couldn’t go on. Rian tried to keep me centred but I wouldn’t let him in.”

“I am here now. You can feel me now, right?” Briar barely nodded his head. “Hold onto our bond—it is your lifeline. You can break through the despair as long as you don’t give up, love.”

It might have been several hours or only a few minutes, none of them could really tell. All they cared about was when Briar was able to stop crying and he fell asleep in Jun’s arms. To hold off triggering an empathic storm in Jun, Orchid had been almost constantly adjusting the grounding wards on the room. When Briar finally calmed, Jun collapsed back into the sofa, her face a story of exhaustion.

Rian curled into her side trying to send her strength through their bond but the truth was that they were all spent. The Gheyo were shifting restlessly but Lief was the one to sigh and ask, “Can we go home?”

Orchid ran her hand through her hair. “We probably should do that. But we have not been living there since you all went Hunting. Once we met our grandsons, they did not like the fact we only had Xephyr to guard us and they invited us to stay on their island.”

“Everything we need is there and so are the others?” Jun asked.

“Yes, though… I would not normally hesitate to call on this hospitality for another night but one of our grandsons is as strong an empath as you are Jun. I am unsure how that would work with things as they are.”

Jun looked to their Suite. “Are you up to sweeping the manor? Do not scowl—I am not insulting you. You cannot hide the fact that you are as exhausted as I am.”

Gardenia straightened up. “Yes, we are exhausted but throwing you and another empath into the same space in your condition is a far worse plan than us sweeping the manor. Orchid, call the others and let them know. Also, have Zephyr meet us at the manor. He can take the lead since he is fresh.”

Jun nodded and turned to Rian. “It appears I have a lot to catch up on and should probably hear about it in a neutral space before I meet this grandson of ours.”

Rian nodded. “I only got to look at the family tree before we left, so I did not meet any of our newly found grandchildren. Nor did I find out what happened with their parental Circle. I am as lost as you are in this I’m afraid.”

Jun breathed in Briar’s scent to soothe her instincts. When Orchid had finished the call and the Gheyos had left, Jun addressed her. “Orchid, will you go with Regulus to make arrangements with the Kalziks? We are taking a Fae child in as our ward until we can find out if she has any living family left. The girl has bonded to Regulus but he knows nothing about Nevarah policy in order to do the paperwork.”

“Of course,” Orchid said. With a quick nod, she took Regulus by the arm and led him out of the room, leaving behind the main Triad.

Rian looked as though he wanted to stay awake and talk to Jun but she kissed his temple and murmured, “Rest, Florian. Nothing is going to be fixed overnight.”

Rian grumbled but he did not fight the command. He let his body relax against hers and closed his eyes. Jun waited until his breathing had evened out as well before she laid her head back on the sofa. “I know you are there. I can feel you lurking.”

Lady Death melted out from the Shadows, clad in her Reaper regalia. “You know—there are not many who dare to speak to me like that.”

“Are you going to do something about it?”

“No, but only because Briar and Harry cannot handle any more upsets at present. I hope you realize how close you came to losing him,” Death stated, her scythe pointed down at Briar.

“I can feel it.”

“I have distracted him with Duty, but that is not enough to pull him back entirely. I expect you to keep your focus on where it needs to be. Let your children and your grandchildren handle their own affairs until your own house is in order.”

Jun straightened up and met Death’s gaze with her own eyes narrowed. “Is that a threat?”

“Harry is mine! And I am tired of him being pushed around like a chess piece by people who have no right to do so,” Death hissed. “Mark me, Lady Evanson! If you stick your nose into his affairs where it is not wanted, then you and I will have a problem.” Jun glared up at the immortal for claiming her grandson as hers but Death’s fiery eyes held no room for argument.

“Hear me but never speak of this. Harry was marked by Fate to die before he was two years old. I intervened and marked him as my child. His future is unwritten and Lady Fate must spin his destiny constantly. Because of this, we both have a claim to him, but since it was my choice and my magic that saved him, I am his Mother.”

Jun grumbled softly but did not argue. Death flicked her scythe casually. “Leave him to forge his own future with the threads that Lady Fate can give him. He cannot fit into any mould that you or anyone else plans for him. Love him, cherish him, but never try to change him. This is the best thing you can do for Harry, for your children, for your Circle, for Briar. For all those you love and care for. So do not test me.”

Jun eventually nodded but looked up at the immortal and asked, “Why have you told me this?”

Lady Death rolled her scythe in her hand as she considered the question. It was a fair one. She had told Jun more than she ought to have. “Because I suppose I feel someone in his family should know he is a Tri-cursed Child. It can be a beautiful life, but it is fragile too. That damned Birdman has put the clues together from his past. He would try to break Harry in order to use him as a weapon to reforge the universe. His family is the only thing protecting Harry from him.”

Jun looked down at Briar and nodded. “I understand and you have my pledge. I will do everything in my power to keep those Torvak fanatics away from him.”

Death nodded and melted back into the shadows. Jun got the distinct feeling that the room hummed to life around them like it was trying to disinfect the residual Death Magic. Jun cast a shield around Briar and Rian so whatever spell had been triggered would not disturb them.

After the room settled into dormancy once more, she laid her head back and waited. As she had told Rian—nothing would be fixed tonight. Visits from immortals did not alter that fact. She safely tucked the label of Tri-cursed away in the back of her mind for research later and then closed her eyes to await the return of their Gheyos.

-----

Nevarah: Merrow Waters – Volaha Jazira

Mesmyr and Adrianna stepped aside to talk during the lull between the end of the tournament and dinner. He frowned over his shoulder when Hadrian seemed to be following them and commented on the other ACE being a pushy, arrogant arsehole.

Adrianna smothered a snicker. It was amusing but she did not feel she had the right to any comradery with this man. In fact, she did not know if she could ever allow it. Adrianna was first to enter the small sitting room they’d arrived at—one that appeared to not have been a focus for the Pareyas, given its’ sparse decorations—while Mesmyr stopped Hadrian at the door and the two began to snipe back and forth.

Adrianna tuned out their arguments. For the most part, it was just more of Mesmyr poking at the fact that Hadrian had been off-world and had not bothered to properly catch himself up on the things that had happened. He pointed out Hadrian’s presence was a waste of time because he had not seen the events of Adrianna’s first night here nor had he asked for the memory of it from anyone who was, despite the fact he had noticed Harry was behaving oddly around her.

Tensions began to ramp up between the two ACEs and Adrianna still tried to stay out of it. Now, Hadrian was picking at Mesmyr, bringing up subjects that would obviously needle the younger ACE and get under his scales. He brought up his young age, the Merrow being under a century, and poked at the fact that Mesmyr had his older brother, Crimson Tide, to make up for his shortcomings.

Adrianna had to wince at that because the steady Merrow ACE was rightly offended. His brother had never given him handouts. He had earned his own place in Crimson Tide. And if Hadrian had any doubts about that, Mesmyr would happily show him what he was capable of as soon as his Alpha gave him leave to do so. After all, their Alpha had first dibs on taking a bite out of Hadrian’s arse.

Suddenly, a string of words caught Adrianna off-guard. Maybe if she had been listening to the fight, she could have been prepared for it, but hearing Mesmyr snarl, “You are not listening to me, you pompous, bureaucratic lickspittle!” had her hissing defensively.

Her clawed fingers dug into the back of the chair as she was suddenly swallowed up in a memory.

She looked up as a door slammed open on the far side of the warehouse. She was not trying to spy but the alcove in which the fuel pump was stored was walled off, so she was not visible to the three ACEs as they stormed into the building.

“You are not listening to me, you bureaucratic lickspittle! You are going to get yourself and everyone killed!” Avery snarled as he got into Clark’s face.

Her training ACE did not back down from the other man. “This has nothing to do with licking anyone’s boots Avery or trying to make myself look better in the eyes of the commanders. Quite the opposite in fact. If I were licking their boots, I would be standing down like you and Tamera are.”

Tamera, the third Ace in charge, stepped between them. She tried a calmer approach to convince Clark they were right. “Listen to reason, Clark. The truce agreement has fallen apart. Word is that the camps nearest to the Dobvin bases have been threatened. The Dobvin Army is saying that they will outright attack any aid shipments entering the city to keep the supplies from falling into the insurgents’ hands.”

Clark sneered. “Firstly, we are neutral. Do not call them insurgents—they are Dobvin citizens, the same as the regular army. And second: how can you justify standing down? You know this run is set to supply two hospitals, an orphanage, and a boarding school. The hospitals might be able to limp by without our help, but both the orphanage and the school are nearly out of food. Their reserves will only get them through the week at best.”

Avery shook his head. “They have a week! Give the negotiators time to talk with the Dobvin army. They may be able to convince them to let us back in. Defying them will only convince them that we are more inclined to help the opposition.”

“I am inclined to help children who never asked to be trapped in the middle of a city at war!” Clark snarled back. 

Avery threw up his hands. “On your head be it, but you will have none of my Gheyos, Clark. You will not get any of mine killed.”

Clark looked pleadingly at Tamera as Avery stormed out. She shook her head. “I am sorry, Clark, but I just cannot send anyone in, knowing that they will in all likelihood be targeted.” Tamera squeezed his arm as she too walked away.

Adrianna had not remembered that conversation before now—Mesmyr’s words had unlocked the trauma block on it. From there, the memory devolved into the supply run and the vicious attack that had hit them. She hissed in distress as she gripped her head. Her mind was a chaotic mess of flashes from the firefight and remembered pain. She sank to her knees as she shook her head. She could not do that again. She could not face it again.

Tears burned the corners of her eyes. She was a coward. She had entered the Royal Guard, not for the honour of protecting them, but because Royals rarely went into the field. The chances of her having to go back to an active war zone were slim in the guard.

Two arms surrounded her and she tried to fight them but Jasper had managed to grab ahold of her before she had sensed him. It took her several minutes to calm down and stop fighting him but she eventually gave into his confinement.

Only then did he nod to someone else. Adrianna blinked and bit her lip when she noticed Harry. He came forward and knelt in front of her.

“I am sorry, Harry. I am sorry. I—”

I know.” Harry’s eyes were shining with tears of his own. “I can feel how scared you are.”

 “I wish I could be what you need. But….” She bowed her head as she trembled. “I cannot go back. I can’t go to war.”

Harry murmured as Mesmyr knelt behind him in support. Mesmyr spoke up to clarify, “You cannot be in a Military Circle because you cannot handle going back to an active conflict.”

“Yes,” she whimpered brokenly. “I know I am a coward.”

“You are not a coward,” Harry said emphatically.

Mesmyr soothed him. “It is not something you can help her with. It is what her Dragel feels because of her rank. The fact she cannot bring herself to return to battle is not right or wrong, but in  the end that doesn’t change the way her Dragel is reacting to it.”

Hadrian spoke up too. “She is right to refuse your potential bond, if this is her reaction to combat. As a Military Circle in the Royal Ranks, we will likely be selected over other Royal Circles to oversee situations in areas of uncertain stability. The chance of us seeing conflict will be high.”

Adrianna bowed her head. “I wish I could be what you need but I know I cannot be it now. I do not know that I ever will.”

Harry nodded. “I understand. I don’t want to force you to be in a situation that makes you scared or hurts you. If you want to refuse the bond, I will accept that.”

Slowly, she nodded her head. “I do not want to put you or Raspen in danger because I froze and could not do my duty.” She turned and glared over her shoulder at Jasper. “And you—”

“You don’t get to make decisions for me. Someone needs to look after you as you don’t seem capable of doing it yourself.”

“I take care of myself just fine.”

Jasper smiled into her shoulder but his eyes were clearly saying ‘Whatever you say, ACE.’ Adrianna huffed. Jasper smiled up at Harry and said, “I was glad to meet you, Harry and thank you for considering me, but I think I am going to hang onto this one for as long as she lets me.”

Harry nodded. “I think you will both be good together.”

Adrianna sighed. “So, do either of you know what we do about the bond?”

Hadrian hummed. “Distance and time will make it fade but now, while it is fresh, I would suggest you get a Master Healer to put in a block on it so you can go back to your everyday life.”

“As for Harry here, soulcasting is one of Quinn’s talents.” Hadrian looked directly at his Submissive. “If the bond starts to bother you like Wikhn’s did, then a soulcast could close the bond so you don’t feel it. That being said, you have to tell us if it starts to bother you.”

Harry nodded. “I am not eager to feel that again, so I will tell Quinn if it bothers me.”

Mesmyr nuzzled his shoulder and Harry let him help him up. Adrianna finally nudged Jasper off and stood up too. She held out her hand to Harry. “Thank you for accepting me in a way I never thought possible. I am sorry I have disappointed you.”

Harry took her hand and looked up in her eyes firmly. “I would be more disappointed if you hid this from me. If you had hurt yourself emotionally—or even physically—as a result of trying to be what you thought I wanted. I want my Bonded happy and if you cannot have that here, I understand.”

She squeezed his hand. “I know you will find someone to be your ACE, even if they are not a soulbonded.”

Harry chuckled as he leaned back against Mesmyr. “Honestly, I think I have as many of those as I can handle at this point. It would be nice just to find a few more Bonded the normal way.”

“You will,” Jasper said with a smile. “I am sure of that.”

Adrianna hummed in agreement. “We should go.”

“You could stay for dinner; we did invite you to stay.”

“We know but it is for the best that we go. I wish you all the happiness in the world, Harry.”

He nodded. “I hope you find yours too, Adrianna.”

Harry assured Mesmyr and Hadrian he was fine before he went for a wander around the house. Harry felt raw and he did not want to be around other soulbonded at the moment. To his surprise, Shorian turned a corner in front of him and smiled.

“Hello, Harry. Umm… Luna suggested I come find you now.”

Harry trilled and held out his hand. Shorian took it and they moved together down the hall until they came to an open-concept sitting room. No one could accuse them of hiding out in a room like this, so Harry tugged him in.

“Are you alright Harry? You seem upset.”

“I am a bit but it is also a good thing.” He explained to Shorian what Adrianna had told him and how they had decided to refuse their soulbond.

“I am sorry about that. In another life, you two would probably be good for each other.”

Harry nodded. “I am glad this happened now. I would hate it if she had forced herself to stay.”

Shorian nodded. “That would not have been good for anyone.”

Harry shook off a bit of his sadness to smile at Shorian. “I saw the knife you gave Theo. It is gorgeous and perfect for him.”

“I thought so too.” Shorian smiled back. “I wanted him to know that I want to court you both. I want a bond with both of you.”

Harry brightened. “I love that. I feel like I have created such havoc in everyone’s lives. I really like seeing when others in the Circle are starting to bond. Quinn and Drift always make me smile. So does the strange multiway pair of Alec, Mesmyr, Brishen, and Fawkes.”

“In time, more of the Circle will open up. The Gheyo Suites will especially relax when they can settle into a routine.”

Harry hummed thoughtfully. “Idan and Minh seemed to be good for Devrim.”

“I agree and I bet that Vaeri will drift towards that Suite.”

Harry hummed as he started to relax. “He does seem to enjoy their company a bit more than Circos and Xygen, doesn’t he?” Shorian raised an eyebrow when Harry sank back onto the sofa but placed his head at shoulder height so that he could rest himself against Shorian’s arm at the same time.

“Before you get too comfortable there, I need to ask if I have your permission to formally Court you.”

“You have it. And don’t let Lochlan or Kae bully you.”

“Eh. They will but I can handle it.” Shorian pulled out another wrapped present. “This is for you.”

Harry trilled and took the package without sitting up. He heard footsteps thumping down the hall and chuckled. “I am here, Dudley,” he called out.

His brother came around the end of the hallway and huffed. “You freaked everyone out by disappearing.”

“I know but I just did not want to be coddled by a soulbonded having just rejected Adrianna. I ran into Shorian and he is happy to let me just sit here and process my feelings.”

Dudley nodded and sat in an armchair across from them. “What is that there?”

“His first courtship gift, since he has agreed to let me court him,” Shorian answered since Harry was too busy unwrapping the present.

 Harry was puzzled when the wrappings parted to reveal a thin, flowing, gauzy fabric. It was an iridescent opal colour that was mostly opaque, showing only a shadow of his hand through the material. He pulled it out and unfolded it to reveal a tunic-style top.

“This fabric is a combination of acromantula silk and dust from the shed scales of an ice wyvern.  It is lightweight enough that you can wear it underwater but strong enough to resist sword cuts.” He smiled and explained. “I noticed that you had not acquired very much Merrow attire to wear while you were swimming, so I figured I would get you a couple options.” Harry looked back at the package to see that there was also a pale blue and pale gold version of the shirt as well.

“Thank you, Shorian. These are great.”

“I left the shop’s card on the bottom if your brother needs a few for himself or if you dislike the style. They have several styles of tunic tops available. After all, I just picked what appealed to my eyes.”

Harry retrieved the card and passed it over to Dudley who looked intrigued. Neither of them had received any Merrow clothes since that sort of disastrous day at court on which Alec had bought their outfits. Of course, Harry figured his Aqua-kin’e Bonded would feel affronted and he would be flooded with options soon.

Harry smiled when the little pitter-patter of feet came next and Shadow climbed up in Harry’s lap for a cuddle. “Have you been off trying to eat Uncle Lewis’s gems again?”

Shadow made a quick denial that was in no way convincing to any of them. Harry laughed and scooped up Shadow along with his present. “I suppose it is almost dinner. Shall we go see what mischief this little hellion has gotten into and see if they need any help with the meal?”

Dudley nodded and Shorian did not complain. They both stood. Harry remained close, leaning into Shorian as they headed back to the more populated parts of the house.

-----

Quinn groaned as he began to wake up. He did not want to be awake yet but at the same time the warm water he was soaking in felt amazing. Quinn hissed slightly when the heel of a hand pressed into his stiff shoulder muscles. Quinn whined and pressed his face into Drift’s throat to get away from the assault.

“So, you can give it out but you cannot take it?” Alec teased as he pinched Quinn’s ear. Quinn hissed at him more firmly and tried to go back to sleep. Alec huffed. “Fine, I will let you sleep some more but mind you, one of us—Elowen, Brenton, or myself—will be working on that back of yours before dinner.”

Drift hummed as Quinn pressed himself against him so closely that there was no room to even slip a piece of paper between them. Drift ran his hands around Quinn to support him although he arched his brow at Alec. Alec frowned and shook his head. There was no reason the Healer was acting this way medically.

“Quinn, are you feeling alright?”

 Quinn hummed again. “I am alright. I just have not felt this tired in a long time. The water feels nice. I have not indulged in a bath for a while.”

“Why not?” Drift asked. “You are part-Merrow. You should not be neglecting that side of yourself.”

Quinn shrugged. Alec scanned him and seemed to calculate something in his head. He then got out of the bath and used his magic to change the water. It went a bit cooler and took on a topaz colour.

“Let him soak for half an hour more and then rinse off. He needs his back looked into directly after.”

Drift nodded. The cooler bath was not intolerable. It was not truly cold, more like the water had been cooled to room temperature. “You overworked yourself, didn’t you?”

“Maybe I did. I did not think I had worked any harder than I normally did at the clinic.”

“From what I have heard, you regularly overworked yourself at that place.”

“I did not.”

“Shall we ask your brother?”

Quinn made a face and sniffed as he turned his face away from Drift. The Storm Gheyo ignored the pout and grabbed a rag to bring the water up onto his shoulders and back where his muscles seemed to be the tensest.

“Everyone overworked themselves last night, Quinn. It is not a slight on your character that you are exhausted. It was an ordeal and a half.”

Quinn clicked his tongue in annoyance but Drift ignored that as well. He grasped Quinn’s chin and turned him to face him. “Hey—I love you and if I have to carry your arse from point A to point B, I will do it. Stop grumbling and just accept the help. This is what Circles are for.” 

“Maybe I don’t want your help.”

“Then tell me to go,” Drift challenged. Instead of saying it, Quinn dug his claws in a bit tighter. Drift leaned in and kissed Quinn’s scarred throat. “I am yours. You will not lose me and you won’t push me away.” Quinn nodded and they fell silent for several more minutes as the water worked to correct the imbalance in Quinn’s elements.

When they were done, Quinn was, obviously, trying to avoid Alec by running down to his workroom. Instead, he found Elowen and Brenton putting the supplies that they had not used back in the cupboards.

“Quinn, how are you feeling?” Elowen asked.

Quinn went to lie but Drift covered his mouth. “Alec said that his back is a tense mess. Will one of you check it since Quinn is set on avoiding Alec?”

They both nodded and after several seconds, Quinn sighed and finally pointed to Brenton. Elowen moved to another cupboard to fetch some oils while Quinn untied his bathrobe. Brenton watched in slight amusement as Quinn moved across the room with his open robe and nothing but his briefs on to fetch a towel from the cupboard behind him.

“Stubborn.” Brenton mentally pushed the message at Quinn.

Quinn tilted up his nose and moved to the bed his father had sent over for him to use. Drift motioned for Elowen to hand over the oils and then offered her his arm. “Why don’t we leave the two of them to figure this out?”

“Don’t leave me with him!” Quinn shouted mentally after him.

“You will be fine. If you cannot trust him to take care of you, how will you ever trust him to look after Harry? Trust is important, Quinten.”

“I despise you.”

“I am sure. If you still feel that way tonight, then I guess that I will be sleeping with my Suite.”

Quinn huffed as Drift and Elowen left the room. Quinn looked sideways at Brenton, who was just standing there with his arms crossed waiting for Quinn to get onto the table. He laid one towel on the table to cradle his chest and then stripped off his clothes. Brenton rolled his eyes and looked away as Quinn wrapped the towel around his naked lower half. Quinn climbed up and lay on his stomach.

“When was the last time you had anyone give you a massage?”

Quinn was a bit surprised that Brenton was continuing with the mental communication. However, he did not question it and answered the Medic’s question without being difficult.  “Drift has done a few but they were just basic and he was doing them more as an attempt to relieve my migraines than loosen my muscles.”

“Migraines are a problem for you?”

“They were a lot more frequent when I was first injured. I got them a lot as I got used to the mental strain of speaking like this. I only had a recurrence of them due to that mind trap left in Harry.”

“I see. Now, back to my original question.”

“I don’t honestly know. The last time I had a complete work over probably before my Sire left to handle affairs in the Merrow Courts. He was gone for close to two years.”

Brenton nodded and made the bed lower so he could lean over Quinn’s body more easily. “How do you feel about bindings?”

“Lowest level for now, if it is necessary. Maybe we can work up to higher levels when we get used to each other.”

“Understood. Now, Elowen pulled out the basic oils. Do you use anything specific?”

Quinn held out his hand and transferred the recipe for his personal massage oil to Brenton. He went back to the cupboard to get the few missing ingredients while Quinn closed his eyes and tried to meditate. He relaxed over the towel and pillowed his head on his crossed arms. Brenton was a quiet worker. There were no jarring noises of bottles on the workbench or even the sound of the mortar and pestle as he crushed the herbs.

Brenton touched his wrist in warning before he started to draw runes across Quinn’s back with the herb paste. It was a different consistency than Quinn normally used on himself, but truth be told, he needed it to be thicker since he was usually drawing the runes over his shoulder and backward in a mirror so they would be forward on his skin.

Quinn hummed as he felt his muscles responding to the runes already. When they were in place, Brenton switched to the oils—methodically working his way down one side of his back and then the other. “One rough night does not explain this level of strain. Have you been neglecting something in your routine?”

“I had not thought so, but I suppose I have since I can no more deny my body than I can hide it from you like this.”

Benton worked through several massage sequences to loosen his muscles everywhere. Quinn had tried to protest the full body massage but Brenton just offered to get Alec for him. Quinn called him a dirty cheat but let him continue his work.

Brenton did retrieve a silken rope and a stick to bind and stretch Quinn’s limbs but never more than one limb at a time. This was what they called the lowest level of rope work. Quinn was not unfamiliar with ropes and what they could do. His Sire used them regularly in his own practice. It was however, as Drift had said, a matter of trust. Brenton was a good medic but Quinn did not yet know him well enough to be completely vulnerable with him yet.

“Better?” Brenton asked when they had finished the last stretch.

Quinn shifted and sat up on the edge of the table. “Better in body, yes, but my magic still feels off.” He frowned hard as he looked down at his own hands hoping to see the answer.

Brenton took his hands in his and examined them for himself. “You have been casting too heavily with your hands I would say. Just what type of schedule did that clinic have you on? You have not had proper downtime and it feels like you have started to develop magical blockages.” Brenton prodded his palm and a few of his fingers but shook his head. “I am not very good at this sort of thing.”

“My Sire is. I will have to ask him to see me. He has Aurasight and will be able to see what we cannot.”

“Tomorrow, if he can manage. The longer you let that go the harder it will be for you to control your casts.”

“If the emergencies are all covered, then I will ask him before I leave.”

Brenton nodded and moved to clean up. Quinn changed back into a bathrobe as the door opened. Drift stepped inside and cupped his cheek. Quinn leaned into the touch. “I am better, not perfect but better.”

“Is it something that can be fixed tonight?”

Brenton shook his head. “He said that his Sire is gifted with Aurasight. He would be the best one to work through it. My massage helped him, but one that encompasses the magical pathways would work better overall. It can chip away at the magical blockages he is building up. That being said, it is not a  ‘fix this now’ type of problem, but it will certainly get worse the longer it is left untreated.”

Drift nodded and curled an arm around Quinn when he leaned into him. “Alright, we are through with tormenting you for the day. Let’s get you changed for dinner.”

“Promise?” Quinn's tone was half-threatening as he dug his claws into Drift's side.

“Promise. Let’s go so you can scrutinise the food that the others arranged for the night without your supervision.” Quinn pouted at that but he followed Drift to the door. At the last minute, he sent a silent thank you Brenton’s way.  The Medic smiled to himself at the simple words.

-----

Nevarah: Earth Sector – Dark Forest – Evanson Estate

Zephyr nodded to Gardenia as they met back up. It was good they had done a sweep of the property. Nothing had gotten into the manor itself, but there had been two pockets of Fabrine trapped on the ward lines. Zephyr presumed they had tried to squeeze through to escape the night of the Reaping and as they had not been back since, they had just been trapped there.

They called the Pareya home first and all came, except Ivy who was staying with Winstar until the second call came. They tried not to bring their children back to any vacant properties. Whenever they moved from place to place, the Pareya would go ahead and make sure the place felt like home before the kids were ever moved. Orchid reported she had left Regulus in charge of their ward and he was waiting for their call with Jun, Briar, and Rian.

In under half an hour, they had turned over the house and everything was clean, fresh, and waiting for their final arrivals. Ivy and Winstar arrived first, followed closely by Regulus, Rian, and the little girl. Jun was the last to appear with Briar still asleep in her arms.

Jun looked around and asked, “What do we have by way of food?”

Ivy spoke up, “I packed away our portions of the meal we had ordered for dinner this evening while we were setting up the rest in the dining room. It will be a little light for all of us but it will hold us until we can order something else.”

Orchid nodded and they all headed for the kitchen to sort out the meal. Orchid asked, “How did things go after we left?”

Ivy snickered. “Well, you were there for Harry being a menace to his twins and a few Gheyos. After that, emotions went a bit weird for a while. Harry went off with his Fire Bonded, which was a good feeling in the house. However, something also… well it did not outright upset him, but bothered him enough that he took a wander on his own and the Circle had to seek him out on foot because he was blocking their bonds.”

Rian hummed. “So it was probably best we came here for the night.”

Ivy nodded. “He seemed alright when we were leaving but I could tell he was reaching the end of his tolerance of social interactions for the day. I told Remus and Sirius we would let them know in the morning if we will come to them or if we need Sirius to come here.”

Jun looked up. “Sirius is …  Remind me?”

Flora explained, “Sirius is the newest Hellhound pup. Briar is responsible for his training. He is also a Gheyo of our daughters’ Circle, so even if Death had not ordered it, I am certain Briar would have taken him under his paw eventually.”

On cue, Briar started to stir. Jun shushed him. “Easy love, we are at home. Orchid and the others are arranging the first part of dinner.”

Briar blinked as he looked around the room and frowned. “Dudley, Harry?”

“They are safe on the island,” Ivy reported as she brought Winstar to Briar. Winstar was happy to sit on Briar’s lap but apprehensive as Briar was curled up on Jun’s.

Jun smiled at their youngest. “Hello, little one.”

Winstar sniffed at her dismissively and Jun chuckled. “Gheyo kid?”

“Got it in one.” Briar hummed, cuddling their son as much as he would allow. So much she needed to catch up on, Jun reminded herself, as the start of the meal was passed around.

-----

Nevarah: Merrow Waters – Volaha Jazira

Dean and Seamus were a bit surprised when Harry came to sit by them for dinner but they were pleased. Seamus hugged the Dragel tightly, until Harry emitted a fake cry for help. Everyone chuckled when Harry suddenly twisted in the hold and started to tickle Seamus mercilessly until he was the one screaming for help.

Dean shooed Harry away into Angelina’s embrace while he hugged Seamus. “Feeling better?”

“A bit,” Harry agreed with a small smile.

Alicia poked Harry’s side. “Did that plant boy ask to court you yet?”

“His name is Shorian and he did. You can stand down, Lioness.”

“Hmm… I think I will keep him in my sights. In order to make sure he is courting you properly.”

“You mean to scare him off,” Harry accused.

“Only if he pushes where you don’t want his attention.”

“Alicia, I love you but don’t you think I have enough watchdogs?”

“Nope,” Alicia said, popping the p.

“Give it up, Harry. She is harmless,” Angelina soothed him.

“And I am Queen Elizabeth.”

Seamus gasped and bowed. “Your Majesty, it is such an honour to meet you.” He then stood up. “Ladies and Gentleman, may I present, Her Majesty Queen Elizabeth the Second, by the grace of God, of Great Britain, Ireland and British Dominions beyond the seas-“

“Seamus, you had better run!”

As Harry chased Seamus out of the room, Galv jokingly said, “It is déjà vu.”

Theo shook his head. “I bet Harry and Seamus can keep the chase going longer than Sirius did this morning.”

“Absolutely,” Dean agreed with a shake of his head. “Alicia, you started this— you’re helping me to catch them.”

George rolled his eyes as he set down his platter. “I will come too. Maybe I can sweet talk Harry into eating first and mauling Seamus later.” Everyone laughed as the three left the room to track down the pair of wayward troublemakers.

-----

Harry slipped away from everyone after they had eaten. He appreciated that Arthur was attempting to quiet his rage but Ron had really upset his father with his latest antics. Harry could not blame Arthur for his anger, but it was gnawing at him enough that he barely managed to eat.

 Eventually, Harry ended up out on one of the balconies enjoying the peace of the evening and the light breeze that was blowing across the island. Harry sighed as his hair was blown playfully and the bit of moisture the cooling air left across his skin.

“Harry?”

Harry turned and smiled at Cleft as the Joker flew down and joined him on the balcony. “Hi.”

“Are you alright?”

“Yes, just a few too many emotions in the dining room.” Harry tilted his head curiously as something occurred to him. “That’s odd. Why don’t I usually have a problem with Jokers? More so than even the other Gheyos, why is it your rank that feels easier?”

“We, like you, tend to run on the feral edge. Mastering our emotions is almost always a part of our training; it’s what brings us back to functionality after the Joker shift. You will find though, that in the heat of the battle, having a Joker nearby will likely set you off worse than the others, so it is a double-edged sword.”

Harry nodded and then frowned as he glanced back into the house.

“What is wrong?” Cleft asked, following his gaze.

“Not wrong per se, but I think Ginny is following me.” He shook his head and turned his attention back to Cleft. “She has a crush on me. And she really wants to bond but I have never seen her as more than my little sister. I have avoided seeing her since we left Earth, so I have not had to talk to her about it.”

“Is she dangerous?”

“Dang—no, I should think not.”

Cleft grunted at Harry’s denial. Quite often it was hard to spot danger in someone close to you. Before Harry could blink, Cleft was shrinking. Standing opposite him on the balcony in a matter of seconds was a gorgeous snow leopard. A huge one too. He stood at least twice the size of a normal cat of his type. Cleft crossed the space between them and sat at Harry’s feet. He purred as he rubbed his head against Harry’s hip.

“What are you—” Harry did not get to finish that question before Ginny pushed open the door to the balcony and pranced out.

“There you are, Harry.” Her voice held a tone that was a mixture of indulgence and exasperation at the same time. “I have been trying to talk to you all day.”

She paused and stared down at the large cat, who grumbled in displeasure, lounging at his side. Ginny frowned as she looked at the unknown cat. “Oh, is this one of your familiars, Harry?”

“This is Cleft,” Harry said without correcting her assumption. “What do you want, Ginny?”

“I wanted to say I was sorry for jumping all over you that day. I probably should have handled that better.”

Harry was a bit puzzled. The apology felt genuine but he could still feel that she desired him. Her emotions felt as if he was a crown jewel or something that she coveted. There was not an ounce of caring for himself as a person.

Harry did not want to argue with her so he waved his hand. “I accept your apology, Ginny, but you probably should say something to the twins and Charlie. You should not have called them those things that you did on Earth.”

There! That got a barely hidden flicker of rage to shine in her eyes and whether or not Harry noticed it, it put Cleft on immediate edge. She definitely felt anger towards Charlie and the twins still. Cleft imagined she felt they had encroached on her territory and stolen her mate.

Beside him, Harry gave an internal sigh as he considered what to say next. He had never encouraged Ginny’s infatuation—he had actually been rather uncomfortable with it. “Ginny. I am not a shiny gem for you to collect. I am Bonded and I love my Circle—as chaotic as it is.”

Ginny shook her head. “I know that you are not a thing to collect. I know you are more than your name, Harry. But you're not like anyone else in our lives. You are brilliant, loyal, and brave. You are a half-blood who does not hold to all the traditions that make the purebloods so wrong but you are muggle-raised and do not come in and tell us that we are outdated and all of our beliefs are wrong. You are the perfect balance of our societies.”

Harry arched a brow because he really thought she was underestimating how cracked he thought Wizarding Britain actually was. “While that is very flattering, Ginny, none of that matters anymore. Nevarah is my home now.”

Ginny scoffed. “I do not believe that for one second. You, Harry Potter, are not going to come here and bury your head in the sand leaving our friends at home to the mercy of Voldemort.”

Harry shrugged. He was not going to tell Ginny about Voldemort being gone. “I don’t see why not. Dumbledore made Voldemort and his minions. He can deal with them. I am not his pawn to be sacrificed, so that he, as the Queen, can come in and take credit for saving everyone.”

Cleft grumbled to remind Harry he was there. He gave him a gentle supporting nudge as well. It was then Harry noticed he was tense and his pulse was quickening. Harry drew a long breath to calm himself.

“I know your life has been a trial and a half but this is not you. This is just that Nott boy talking. I do not trust him, Harry. I know he has you convinced that he is not like his family, but the whole lot of them have served Voldemort since the beginning.”

“Theo is my Alpha and he will not do anything to harm me.”

“He is literally the only Alpha you have ever met, Harry! How can you know if he is a good one or a bad one? I met an Alpha since we came here and he has been meeting me practically every day—taking me around Nevarah and teaching me all about the culture. What has your Theo done besides secluded you on this island? Alexander is a wonderful Alpha.”

Harry shook his head, ignoring her jab at their island home. Harry doubted he would have been able to tolerate daily trips to the Hunt. “I am glad for you, Ginny. It sounds like this is a good start for a Circle of your own.”

Ginny harrumphed, “Harry, do not be so naive. I have been courting him so that you will meet him. You can get to know him and see that he is superior. As an Alpha there is no comparison—he is better than Nott.”

Harry openly laughed. “What? I will meet him if he is important to you, but why would I compare him to Theo?”

“Harry, I got to know him for you! So that you can see he is the better man. You can bring the parts of your Circle that you like and we can make a Circle together.”

“You are cracked, Ginny!” Harry’s voice went darker as he turned away from her.

Ginny rushed forward and grabbed his arm, prompting a low growl of warning from Cleft. Ginny then poked Harry’s chest. “No, Harry. You need to listen to me now! I do not want to take you away from the Bonded you care for. I just want to show you that you are wrong about Nott. Alexander and I are ready to accept your Circle and all with open arms.” Ginny hummed in thought. “Maybe you could even keep Nott if he will agree to yield to Alexander. After all, Alexander is older and his family is a powerful Air clan. That would make your Air Prince happy, right?”

Harry glared at her and grabbed her hand none too gently, yanking it off his arm. “Be careful Ginny. You are conveniently mentioning Peryton while forgetting what that means. I am a Bonded man and you are laying hands on the Submissive of not one, but two Princes. If you are threatening me, then I can kill you where you stand and would not get in an iota of trouble.”

Ginny laughed girlishly. “Oh, Harry, stop putting on airs. You and I both know you do not care about that. And you also know I am not a threat to you.”

“Do I?”

“You are adorable.”

Harry growled at her and stepped around Cleft. The leopard stood and nudged Ginny back to make sure she stayed out of touching range of Harry this time. Harry crossed his arms to keep his trembling hands and clawed fingers from showing.

“Ginny, I will say this as plainly as I can. I will not meet your Alexander. I do not wish to bond to him or to you. I do not know how much clearer I can be about this.”

“But what about—”

“Ginny! I said no!”

“How dare you, Harry! You were just playing with me. You know I love you. Why did you let me fall in love with you?”

“Let you?! Play you?! How did I encourage you, Ginny? I treated you no differently than Hermione. You are my little sister!”

“You treated Luna the same and yet you bonded to her!”

“Luna and I are something completely different! She is more than my sister. She is part of me and I am part of her. I can’t explain it.”

“You are a part of me, Harry! I could be that for you!”

Ginny reached for Harry again but he hissed and swatted her hands away. Cleft also lashed out with his front paws—claws carefully retracted—hitting her stomach in order to knock her away. He then roared to get someone else’s attention in the house.

“Harry!”

“Do not try to touch me again. He was gentle on purpose this time,” Harry hissed at her.

Several shadowed figures flew out of the house and converged on their balcony. They hovered in the air watching but Harry relaxed just knowing they were there. He knelt down beside Cleft and nuzzled his temple against his.

“Harry, why did you let him do that to me? He hurt me!”

“You are not listening to me. You are pushing your wants onto me. I do not want to Bond to you and I do not want to meet your Alpha. No one will replace Theo for me. HE IS MINE!”

“Harry, if I pushed you, I am sorry. But I have loved you since my first year when you saved my life. I knew then that there would never be anything for me if I could not be with you!”

“I will not be with you.”

“Harry, Alexander will—”

“I do not give a damn about this Alpha that you think you have found for me!”

Ginny sneered. “How can you just say that there is nothing between us? I'm stuck reliving the moments where we have embraced, where your gentle hands have caressed my skin, and where you have watched me with love in your eyes.”

Harry shook his head as he ran his hand through his hair in agitation. “You are making these things into something they are not. Yes, I hug you because I care about you—both when you are happy and when you are sad. I touch you to convey that I care about you and I watch you to be sure you are safe, as any brother would. Your joys and your sorrows are mine.”

“But?”

“I will never love you the way that you want me to. You can only be my sister.”

“I hate that I fell in love with you!” She tried to run at Harry again but this time she came up short when Cleft snarled and reared back so his clawed paws were in front of her face.

Harry thought she would turn away but she suddenly drew her wand and cast a strange spell. Harry was not sure if the curse was meant for him or Cleft but the Joker took it either way. Harry fell to his knees at Cleft’s side as inky black rope wrapped around him. It was not the typical Incarcerous spell because the ropes were causing his skin to smoke and burn under them.

“Do not touch the ropes, Harry,” Theo ordered as he landed at Harry’s side.

He bent and muttered a counter-curse. The ropes slowed and stopped squeezing but did not immediately come off. Theo continued to chant the counter-curse, fighting it. Harry snarled as he looked up to find Ginny surrounded by Idan, Rolf, and Vaeri. Rolf had her under her arms and was holding her up against the wall. If she tried to lower her arms either Vaeri or Idan would send wind to blast her hands back above her head.

“Let him go, Ginny! Let him go right now!”

“Harry! Help me! They are hurting me,” she begged.

Vaeri turned to the side, allowing Harry to pass. He grabbed her throat with his clawed fingers. “YOU WILL LET CLEFT GO NOW OR I SWEAR I WILL KILL YOU!”

Ginny cried, shaking her head. She refused to undo the spell and though Harry had threatened it, he couldn’t bring himself to actually hurt her. He whimpered as he let her go. Vaeri pulled him into his arms. Harry was too distraught to see the look of disgust and anger that crossed Rolf’s face or the glare from Vaeri daring him to call Harry out on not following through with his threat.

“Take her and knock her out,” Blaise said as he arrived. “It will not end this curse but Theo and I might be able to get ahead of it if she is not able to fuel it.” He then joined Theo in fighting the curse.

Vaeri nodded and Rolf and Idan happily knocked Ginny out and carted her away. Harry remained in Vaeri’s arms and did not look away as they worked to free Cleft. Arthur arrived to see the end of the curse just before it let him go. Cleft shifted back from Leopard to man and moaned softly.

“You are lucky she did not know what creature blood you have,” Theo offered as he helped the Fae roll onto his back. “That was the basic curse but it could have been tailored to silver or iron and it might have sent you into shock before we could have got it off.”

Cleft groaned. “Remind me to never underestimate any of you Earthborns again. Harry?”

“I am here.” Harry sniffled. “Are you alright?”

“I will live,” Cleft assured him and he sat up. Harry chirped in worry—the snaking ropes had left crisscrossed red and angry burns at least two fingers wide all over his body.

Harry whined again and looked between Blaise and Theo. “What the hell was that curse anyway?”

“Serpent’s Breath.” Theo frowned. “I was taught the counter at a young age because if it is cast on you, the only hope you have is to chant the counter until an adult can come and help you overpower it. But I do not know the curse itself. It was not in my family grimoire.”

Blaise shook his head. “Mine neither. It was one of those old family curses that I learned about but its origins were vague. None of my mother’s lovers ever knew it. Or her family.”

Theo could not help but snort. “You are still calling your Mum’s Circle her lovers?”

“That lot is as non-traditional as they come, so yes.” Blaise did a spell and nodded. “It seems to be staying inactive, so you should be fine to try and get up.”

Cleft did and almost immediately he had his arms filled with Harry. “I am sorry! I am sorry she cursed you and I am sorry I could not kill her!”

“Hey, none of that. I was not about to let that curse hit you. And I do not blame you for not being able to follow through. She is your sister as you said.”

Harry sniffled and sneered at the same time. “I cannot believe she did this.”

“Harry,” Arthur called. “He is right. It is not your place to deal with Ginny, it is mine— or the courts, if it comes to that.”

Cleft shook his head. “I personally will not press charges but I will have to report this to my Queen and she may have an opinion on that.”

Arthur nodded. “I am sorry you were hurt. Please send me a copy of your medical bills and I will get them paid. Harry, we gave this a try but I swear we will not bring Ginny here again.”

“Arthur, she seems very attached to an Alpha named Alexander. You probably need to find out what that is about.”

“I will and I will try to find out where she learned that curse.” Arthur bowed and left them.

Vaeri stepped forward and braced Cleft. “Come. Let’s get you checked out by a Medic before the other Jokers get a whiff of Harry. You are going to have most of them pissed at you for pushing in on their territory.”

“Not you?”

“Oh, I am pissed at you as well for taking liberties, when Harry has not even agreed to a courtship yet. But unlike them, I also saw the cuddle and scent marking Harry gave you so clearly the affection is mutual. Therefore, I will get over it.”

Harry stayed close to Cleft’s other side as they walked back inside. They were met by Elowen, Brenton, and Quinn as an observer only a short way down the hall. “We heard there was an attack. Are you hurt, Harry?”

Harry shook his head as he stepped back into Theo’s arms so that Elowen and Brenton could reach Cleft. “So, what caused all of this?”

“Blaise?” Theo asked.

Blaise sighed in a put-upon way. “The things I do for you.” Despite the complaint, he stepped into the middle of the hall.

Theo cast the standard rope spell at him. “You can see here that once the ropes have surrounded Blaise, they stop moving.” He released the spell and let Blaise break out of the bindings. “The curse that was used on Cleft is darker. It is called Serpent’s Breath. As you can see, the first difference is that the ropes are scalding hot to inflict pain on the victim and prevent anyone from freeing them by hand. The second difference is that the ropes are constantly moving and tightening so the more the victim struggles, the harder they bind.”

Brenton nodded as he scanned Cleft to see how much damage the bindings did, while Elowen focused on assessing how severe the burns were. “You do have muscle damage. But it seems to be mainly deep bruising. If there is tearing, it is relatively minor.”

Cleft nodded. “I figured out quite quickly it was reacting to my movements so I stayed as still as possible.”

Elowen hummed in agreement. “The burns are the same, relatively minor, considering. The ones I am concerned about the most are these two around your throat. Fortunately, it looks like you took enough of your Dragel heritage to be fire-resistant.”

“Just enough, yes.” Cleft agreed. “It is one of the few Dragel traits that came out in me.”

“He is lucky Ginny knew nothing about him. As I told him, she could have changed those ropes to silver or iron had she known and he would obviously have worse injuries.”

“I have to agree if that is possible,” Brenton grunted. “Quinn, may I use your office to mix him a muscle-strengthening draught and borrow some of your burn supplies?” Quinn waved and Brenton followed him down the hall.

“Why does he have to make that one?” Harry asked.

Elowen explained. “The main reason is a Muscle Draught will work internally and basically stimulate the muscles into growing and healing themselves. Those types of potions always lose efficacy if they sit, so they are typically brewed when needed. On the other hand, burn cream is topical and can be made shelf stable.”

She motioned to Vaeri to step back in and help Cleft again. “We had best get going since you will have to strip to let us coat all your burns. I am sure you don’t want to strip in the hall.”

Cleft grunted. “When we are done, can I get a sleeping draught? My oaths are acting up since I am not sleeping or on guard duty. It seems it is not going to tolerate me resting to heal.”

Elowen nodded and the three of them left Harry with Theo and Blaise. Now that Cleft was taken care of, Harry reached for Theo and his Alpha picked him up without question. “What do you need, my treasure? Solitude? Or do you need to be close to everyone?”

“The latter,” Harry whined.

“As you wish.” Theo kissed his brow. “Skin-to-skin cuddles?”

Harry nodded as he nuzzled into Theo’s chest. When they arrived in the sitting room, the decision of who would cuddle Harry first was taken from him. Theo and Harry were bowled over by a yipping and whining hyena. Harry laughed helplessly as he was tickled by a cold, wet nose that nudged under his shirt and rubbed against the hip that Cleft had marked earlier.

“Devrim.” Harry threaded clawed fingers gently through his mane and scratched behind his ears.

When Devrim got a bit too rough with his investigation, Harry bopped him behind the ear with the heel of his palm. Devrim yipped sadly and turned his eyes away.

Harry caught his face, working off pure instinct. He sat up as Devrim backed off a fraction. He first licked the tip of Devrim’s nose and then he brushed his cheek along the side of Devrim’s snout. He kept moving forward until Devrim was sitting on his haunches with his front arms awkwardly wrapped around Harry.

This forced Devrim to shift back so that he could properly hold his submissive as he cuddled into his still slightly fur-covered chest. Harry’s hands were around his neck and gripped tightly into his mane of hair. Harry whined and nuzzled Devrim’s throat.

Theo rubbed Harry’s back and smiled sadly. “We may want to warm the room a fraction and forgo shirts. I am fairly certain this will be the norm for the rest of the night.”

When the doors to the balconies were shut to stop letting the cooling breeze inside, the two large fireplaces were lit. Alec rose and disappeared into the kitchen. One at a time, he brought back two large stock pots that were filled with already boiling water. He placed them in the fireplace and they steadily added steam and moisture to the room.

To all the non-Merrow Bonded, this was a surprising addition. The moist air actually made the room feel warmer as they removed their shirts. Theo checked on their Fire Bonded, only to find the pearls were glowing slightly. Whatever it was doing, it was clearly making the space more tolerable for them. Theo turned to Oblis, as he had no pearl yet.

“Will you be alright?”

The Shadow Fire Demon nodded. “I am fine. A little water will not kill me. Now, Harry? He is not injured, right?”

“No, the Fae guard who roared to alert us to the problem took the curse. I am unsure if the curse was meant for Harry or not, but either way, Harry is just emotionally shaken.”

Oblis nodded. Across the hall, Harry trilled and pulled Ethan down with him and Devrim when the Pareya tried to ply him with tea. They both smiled as Harry forced them both to sandwich his body between them.

“So why does Harry smell like another Were?”

“That Fae is part Were-Leopard. Apparently, he and Harry did a bit of scent marking—probably without Harry consciously recognizing that he was doing it.”

“Are we worried about him?”

“No, he was the one who approached us this morning.”

“Ah yes, the lead Fae who has his hands tied by fealty oaths. I heard about him.” Oblis looked around the room and nodded to Mathis, who was very agitated. “Jokers are not going to like that Fae scent marking Harry without a proper Courtship agreement, so you may want to keep an eye on them as best you can.”

“I will keep that in mind,” Theo agreed as he stepped away once more.

------

An hour or two later, Harry opened his eyes but he didn't lift his head from Hadrian’s chest at the sound of Henry's voice. Henry sounded almost giddy by now. Clearly, the return of the Peverell magic was affecting him. Harry smiled against Hadrian as Cora and Lewis both tried and failed to get him to stop chattering. Hadrian chuckled against the top of Harry’s head when the trio led Derek Peverell into the room.

Wikhn checked him as he arrived and nodded that this was the same man they had met on Earth. Hadrian kissed the top of Harry’s head to let him know it was safe. Harry pouted but he sat up to meet the man properly.

“Maybe I wanted a nap.”

“Hardly. you are too cuddly right now to fall asleep. Which is odd because cuddling normally could lead to a nap. But right now, you are far too interested in going from Bonded to Bonded to feel their skin and magic to actually sleep.”

Harry hummed in agreement. “You are not wrong.” Harry looked around and he chose his next victim. Harry crossed the room to where Vaeri was apparently looking for Shadow. The Nytura was being a little hellion, running back and forth under the sideboard, pouncing on people’s feet when they came to eat. Harry climbed onto Vaeri and perched cross-legged on the small of their back.

Vaeri braced against the table at his weight and then looked over their shoulder. “You little imp.”

Harry chirped as he ran his hands over the lightweight shirt they had put on after their shower. Derek Peverell looked amused as he watched this byplay. Of course, he was biased towards liking the boy—given his relationship with both Tom and Death—but it was adorable to witness a near-feral little powerhouse be so loving with their Bonded.

Lewis waited until Vaeri had used their wind magic to pull Harry around into their arms and then stood up with him before he approached them. “Imp, spider monkey, minx, demon; you just keep collecting terms of endearment.”

Vaeri grinned evilly. “Who says they are endearments?” Harry growled playfully as he slid his clawed fingers up into their hair to scrape at their scalp. “Fine—yes, they are but play nice, you imp. You have someone here to meet you.”

 Harry wrapped his arms around Vaeri’s neck and turned slightly in his arms to look at the new man. “Hello.”

“Hello, my child.”

Harry scrunched up his nose in annoyance. “Only Lady Death calls me that.”

“Yes, and I am her Bonded. I was her Pareya once upon a time, but I was not able to protect my own branch of the family that lived on Earth. The strain of their death weighed upon me, as it was my failure. It changed me into a Joker. But I am still hers.” Derek shook his head. “Off-topic, but my point was if you are her child, then you are mine as well.”

Harry nodded his body relaxed as he started to feel Derek’s magic. He certainly felt like Lady Death. Harry shifted and Vaeri set him down to stand beside them. Harry turned and leaned back into the frame of their arms.

As tears welled in the corners of his eyes, Derek continued, “Tom was the last of my branch, the end of my bloodline.”

Harry trilled sadly. His relationship with Tom was still complicated. Had their lives been their own and had they been free to make their own choices, then Harry felt they would have been very close.

Derek nodded. “He is not suffering anymore and thanks to the work of your Bonded, Death is mending his soul.”

“I wish it could have been different.”

“He wished that too. That is part of the reason I am here. As Henry no doubt told you, I can reverse what Tauria did to you but I want to make sure it will not harm you, given the delicate balance of your talents and your clan magic. The second reason I am here is to explain Tom’s dying wish and how it will affect you if you accept it.”

Harry arched his brow. “Well, we had better sit while you tell me what old Snakeface did to make my life difficult this time.”

Derek grinned as he followed Harry over to where his Alpha was sitting. Harry trilled at Vaeri and they kissed him before settling next to Theo, leaving just enough room so Harry could cuddle between them. Theo kissed his shoulder also when Harry was comfortable.

“Did you know Tom was amused by that? He loved it when you called him Snakeface.”

“Probably the same logic as to why I came to like Scarhead. It was easier to own the name than to let it hurt my feelings every time it was yelled at me.”

 Derek let that slide so that Harry’s Bonded could speak to him about that depreciative attitude. “Now, as I said, Tom was the last of my bloodline. He had no heir except you.”

“Me?! How was I his heir?!”

“By right of conquest. Every time you and Tom faced off, he lost.”

Harry blushed. “But I don’t know why my magic clashed with Tom’s as a baby. And in my first, second, fourth, and fifth years? Those were all flukes of my crazy luck.”

“Your Blessing from Lady Luck does not negate the facts.”

“I am Blessed by Lady Luck as well?”

“Yes. Death was very grouchy about that. She would be fine with it if it was always a positive blessing. but Luck is very polar and unbiased. It makes her frustrated that another immortal has a hand in the life of her child but she cannot do much to counter it.”

“Why not?”

“The Luck gift comes from the bloodline of your father’s Third. It has been part of the Black family for several generations and therefore, had a claim on you before she did.”

Across the room, Remus chuckled and said, “That explains a lot.” Sirius grinned as he leaned into his soulmate.

Derek motioned to Harry. “On three occasions you faced Tom and you either killed a part of him or dealt him a near-mortal wound. Fourth year was technically a tie but that still left you as the majority victor in your overall contest—which is the definition of the right of conquest under Magical Law.”

Harry blushed deeper as his Earth family all looked at him in confusion. Harry shifted nervously until Theo nuzzled his neck. “We have said we will cover your life story another time, when you are ready to tell us. For now, what is done, is done.”

Derek nodded. “Well put. The fact of the matter is, Tom believed you were the only one worthy of being his heir. He did a ritual to claim you as such and Lady Magic accepted it. So, unless you refuse outright, you will inherit from him with Her blessing and receive all that was his. His only request of you is that you care for Nagini for the rest of her lifetime.”

“Whether I accept or not, I will give Nagini a home for as long as she wants it. We talked this morning and she is a lovely snake. Besides that, the fact that my familiar Koa has taken a liking to her is just extra teasing material I can use against him.” Harry hummed in thought. “You said I can refuse this inheritance. What happens if I do that?”

“Asset-wise, everything reverts to me as Head of the Clan to redistribute to the other two branches. As to what happens to the family magic of the main branch… I do not honestly know that answer, but I would assume it would go back to Lady Magic to be distributed into the universe as she sees fit.”

Harry nodded and Derek patted his hand. “I am not going to force you to take it. If you want to never have anything to do with our bloodline again, I will not hold it against you. If you choose that option then I will finish what Tauria started as gently as possible and remove you from the family entirely.”

Harry was relieved by the feelings of honesty that he was sensing from Derek. The man truly seemed to only want what was in Harry’s best interest. “But what about Lewis and my Sire?”

“Your decision will not affect them. It trickles down from your Sire and then to you. It would be far harder to achieve if he was the one who didn't want to be returned to the family. But even then, it would be hard but not impossible to do.”

Harry felt no deception, just sadness. “Some people don't want to come back then?”

“Yes, some have chosen that option but I will not grieve the loss of all of them. Somehow, Tauria got her wires crossed and at one point she disowned a few parts of the family who were actually devoted to her cause. Although they don't want to leave the family, they realise that coming back under me would require them to follow Lady Death. They will not, so they choose to stay disowned.

“I do, however, grieve for a few who were loyal to Death and when disowned, had to run to the families of their other parents for sanctuary. While I do not blame them for rejecting the Clan over what Tauria had done, it does make me wish I was omniscient so I could have kept better tabs on Tauria’s family.”

Harry waited for Derek to shake off his sorrow before he asked, “So, what would accepting mean for me?”

“Well, obviously it would first involve you taking back the Peverell magic. Would you mind if I check the stability of your other family magics?”

Harry shook his head. “I do not mind.”

Derek’s magic was as comforting as Lady Death’s felt to him but it was distinctly different. Reckless, was the first word he thought of to describe it and he chuckled.

“What is so amusing, my child?”

“Your magic feels comforting to me but it also feels distinctly ‘reckless’.”

“Arielle, do not say that to Lady Death, else I will never live it down.”

Theo grinned. “At least we know that is a family trait.”

Harry huffed and crossed his arms in a pout until Derek finished his scans. “I do not see any reason you cannot have your family magic return. But Lady Death was right to warn me—I can see the delicate balance of your magic and I would want to monitor you for the first hour or so after to see whether a Soulcast would be necessary.”

From near the fireplace, Drift called out for the Healer, “Soulcasting is one of Quinn's specialties. If Harry needs one, he will be on hand to do it.”

“Not without a proper anchor, you won’t,” Riven scolded.

This set the two of them off on a small argument which everyone ignored. They had known that would happen eventually. Riven and Quinn had very differing opinions on the health and welfare of the Circle. Well, not really—it was more Riven’s lack of care for his own health. The two had been mostly ignoring each other since Drift had become closer to Quinn but there was only so much buffer the Storm Gheyo could provide.

 After several minutes, Luna strolled calmly across the room and grasped Riven’s arm. He stopped mid-taunt to gape at Luna as she pulled him to his feet. Luna walked Riven over to Harry. “I have a present for you, Harry. Here! Have a prickly Storm Mage.”

Harry laughed as Vaeri helped him pull Riven down into their cuddle pile. “My favourite,” he said and nuzzled his Mage’s arm.

Theo gripped his forehead at the complete lack of decorum that exchange had had but Derek was more amused than offended.

Riven tried to squirm away but Harry only proceeded to crawl more into his lap until the Storm Mage sighed and gave in.

“An anchor should not be a problem,” Derek said. “I expect if your Healer has Soulcasting as a specialty he has an appropriate anchor on hand; either via friendship or his family.

“Family,” Drift answered. “When would you want to do this so that he can contact his mentor?”

“First thing in the morning so that your Healer and Harry’s magic are both stable from a good night’s rest. I will leave it to you to tell me what time you normally wake up here but before he eats so his body is not converting food to energy.”

Brenton and Quinn took a moment to discuss and soon enough they had agreed on a time and who would assist Quinn. If he was available, Kyle would work with Quinn, but if not, Brenton would act as his Medic since he had already arranged to be free. Derek agreed that he could come back at that time, so Quinn stepped out to ask Bharin and Kyle their availability.

Derek then explained, “I have been on the Goblins to have the assets converted for transfer to Nevarah—minus the value of Riddle Manor and its trappings, given that it was occupied at the time of Tom’s death. However, I cannot imagine it will be hard to divest the portfolio of a muggle estate manor. That leaves us with the transfer of family magic and the two titles owed to you.”

Harry scrunched his nose up at the word ‘titles’ and Derek chuckled. “Yes, Death said you would hate that. In truth, I expect both titles will mean very little to you overall. The first is strictly an Earth Realm title—it does not transfer to Nevarah. Therefore, it will only come into play if you ever return to Earth to interact with the Wizengamot.”

Harry nodded but frowned. “I am going to take a wild guess here and say Lord Slytherin.”

“Got it in one. As I said, I doubt you will ever have use for that one.”

Harry nodded. “If we return to Earth, and that is a big if, I would expect my Alpha or our Royal would represent our family in the Wizengamot.” Theo hummed his agreement from beside Harry.

“The second title is that you will be—in the eyes of Nevarah—my heir, on the off-chance something was to happen to me. I am damn near immortal myself being Bonded to Lady Death. So, unless I do something extremely foolhardy, or someone murders me, this title would never come into play, as I have no intention of stepping down as Head of the Clan.”

“That would make me a bigger target for Tauria.”

“It will, I cannot deny that. But no more so than being the Master of Death will already make you her target. With Death’s gift, you represent everything she is trying to turn this family away from. But I can assure you I have no intention of leaving Tauria or her ilk in the position to be a threat to you. You have my oath that Tauria will face the justice of our Clan, that of Lady Magic, and that of Lady Death. I personally cannot imagine that she will even be breathing by the time she has paid her compensation.”

Harry considered this, humming lowly. “I will take the family magic back but I would like the night to consider the rest of the inheritance.”

“You can have it. You could take a day or two if you need it. I do not feel any unease in the inheritance magic  yet so take all the time you need.” Derek rose and nodded farewell to Harry and then to Lewis. “I will see you both in the morning.”

Harry curled more into Riven so he did not see as Kae and Lochlan approached Derek before he could leave with Henry, Lewis and Cora.

“Lord Peverell, we need to request a moment of your time in private away from Harry.”

“Who would you be to me?”

“We are James’s Bonded Gheyos, part of Harry’s Parental Circle.”

When Henry nodded in confirmation, Derek nodded. “Granted. Shall we go outside?”

“Yes.” As they walked, Kae explained the reason for the request. “We have been careful not to let Harry know this information yet because we do not know the scope of the situation or what threat it will pose to him.”

“Elaborate, please.”

“James was rescued from Earth by his Merrow Bearer. I am not sure of the details but it sounded as if you had a hand in it.”

“I helped a Merrow rescue her son and though I did not know it at the time, I have come to believe he is yours. I never physically laid eyes on him during the rescue. However the suspicion that Rydia was related to Harry paired with what Lewis and Henry have told me about what your circle has been through led me to suspect the connection.”

“He is our James,” Kae said firmly. “Our bond confirmed it when I saw him yesterday. Lochlan went today. He is staying in the Royal housing for the Merrow due to the Oceanus blood connection to the crown.”

Lochlan nodded. “However, James has suffered a lot of mental torture. The Torvak who had him was attempting to brainwash him into grabbing Harry and running with him back to Earth as soon as they saw each other.”

“I see. I will contact Rydia tonight and see if there is anything I can do to help him recover and to inform the Merrow that his family magic will be restored in the morning.”

Lewis stepped over to them. “How is he otherwise?”

Lochlan smiled briefly. “Not as bad as we anticipated, actually. The Merrow are steadily working on deep healing him. I think that Alcandor scared the scales off of them for putting Harry in that coma so they are going more slowly with James. Considering his injuries, they believe overall that he will make a full physical recovery.”

Cora snorted. “Good, they deserved to be scared after that mess.”

Derek wondered about that but he was sure he could get an earful about it from Death. “Thank you for speaking to me. I will see what I can do.” They nodded and Derek walked with Henry's bonded back to the building their Circle was using.

------

Harry felt as if he had shuffled through all his Bonded for cuddles at least three times this evening, with the exception being the Merrow. They all seemed to be avoiding him and Harry had had enough. He grabbed Luna and they both rushed towards the Suite. Harry managed to grab Palalato and Zhanore, which meant Aerah was right there to caress and pet him. Harry was amused to find Luna clinging to Mesmyr like a squid. His ACE was both amused and disturbed by his inability to dislodge her.

“Hush, Harry needs to rest with you all tonight. He has to, so that Pala can go home.”

“Well,” Brishen said, standing. “In that case—Alec, want to come with me and inspect that indoor Merrow Space I have been creating? I am sure the rest of the Circle will prefer it if we can keep Harry in the house since this is short notice.”

“You finished it?” Alec asked. He looked excited as he stood as well.

“I finished the bones. I need your eyes to let me know what trappings we need to drag up from the shore to make the space livable long-term.”

Harry perked up. “Can I see it?”

“Tonight, imp.” Brishen rubbed his back. “You stay here and cuddle Palalato. Ask him about his family—that should distract you.”

Pala chuckled at Harry’s half-pout. He nuzzled his neck and Harry trilled with a content smile. Harry sighed as he turned to nuzzle his own cheek against Pala’s throat, contentment giving way to melancholy. He turned so his feet were draped over Zhanore’s lap as he mumbled sadly.

Pala wrapped his arm around Harry holding him to his chest. “I wish I could not go, but Luna is right. I have put this off for far too long. I need to go home and make things right with my Great Aunt.”

Harry trilled in confusion. Pala kissed his forehead. “The Rhabdomancer. The greatest of the  Oracles for the Aqua-kin’e. My Great Uncle is her ACE. My family has been at the center of her Protective Guard since she was a young woman and came into her gifts, just as we had guarded her Grandmother before her.”

“Will you be in trouble?”

“I doubt it. She would not be much of an Oracle if she did not see this coming. I will, however, scold her for lying to me. She always told me that I would live out my days in the colony. Secretive old crone.”

Harry could not help but snicker. “What about the rest of your family?”

“Mine is actually a normal Circle compared to most in my family. My uncles and aunts leaned more towards the Military Circle style, whereas my Sire was lured into a nice, normal Circle. She is a Beta and became enchanted by a Submissive of one of the high noble families of the colony. Her brothers and sisters are forever teasing her about her soft, cosy, boring life running the colony.”

“Do you have any siblings?”

“I have plenty of siblings but I was the only one to inherit Gheyo. I was happy to follow in the family tradition rather than learn policy and protocols.”

Aerah made a face. “Kesmar, those lessons sucked. I have never been more bored out of my mind than in those six months my parents tried to stick me there.”

Zhanore teased, “But they already had a Gheyo son in the Crimson Guard. You were supposed to be their little politician.”

“Tie me to a bull shark out on the Razor Reef. Even that has more appeal.”

They all chuckled at that visual. Harry had not seen the Razor Reef yet, but his mind produced an amusing image of Aerah dressed up like a cowboy and riding a bull shark as if it were a bull in a rodeo, above a wickedly sharp coral reef. He blushed as his mind focused on the thought of Aerah in chaps and a cowboy hat but nothing else.

Pala purred as he nuzzled Harry’s bright cheek. “Oh, I would like to know what you are thinking about, love.”

Harry blushed harder as he turned his eyes away from Aerah’s gaze. Aerah smirked. “Oh, do I get to know what you are thinking about me?”

“Nope,” Harry retorted as Aerah snuck in and managed to nibble on his ear. Harry squeaked in surprise and glared at the Princess.

Pala laughed. “You had better run, Aerah.”  

Aerah cackled as Harry roared a war cry and stood to chase him around the room. “Harry will be alright, Pala,” Luna assured him. “He will be distracted enough not to fall into the same slump he did last week.” 

“You are certain?”

“I am.”

Pala felt himself relax as Harry and Aerah weaved past them for another circuit around the room. He could go do what he needed to with Luna’s assurance that Harry would be fine while he was away.

 ------

Nevarah: Merrow Waters – Aqua-kin’e Palace – Guarded Royal Quarters

On James’s bed, Rydia was sitting against the headboard with James curled up, his head on her thigh. Killigan was sitting at the foot of the bed, rubbing a healing ointment into James’s neglected tail scales and fins. Krym was—of course—standing on guard, slightly near the door of the roomwhile Alcandor and Kieran were seated in two chairs discussing a report about some idiot landwalkers having a Hunting party and dumping all their trash off the shore into their waters.

Of course, they had not stood for that and the trash had been washed back up on shore but it also warranted a warning to the landwalkers. Alcandor, per usual, was in favour of a more aggressive approach to the situation. James was amused listening to his cousin talk about cutting open their skin and salting the wounds. Compared to Dumbledore, his cousin was downright mild with his threats. Plus there was the fact that most of it was just talk from his cousin. He did not actually torture anyone unless it was justified.

All conversation stopped when the door pushed open. Frazil’s mother swooped in first, with the young man following her a picture of poise as always. “There you are, your Majesty. We have not had the pleasure of your company today.”

“And why should you have it now, Madame?” Rydia glared daggers at the women. “What right do you have to barge into my son’s sick room without so much as a by-your-leave?”

Frazil cast a spell around himself to isolate the water around him. The spell could be read two ways and his intentions were not immediately clear. It would keep any germs or viruses Frazil had from reaching James but it would also do the reverse if James was the one contagious. He at least looked concerned as he swam closer to the bed with the unwell Merrow.

“I am sorry, we did not realise this was a private suite. Is your son recovering?”

Rydia nodded. “He is, slowly. He was not among the original lost merrow but he was taken by similar people and they have held him for damned near half of his lifetime.”

Alcandor rose and spoke to Frazil. “James is my cousin of the Oceanus bloodline.”

Frazil frowned in confusion. “Neve—but—we heard that the Merrow discovered of the Oceanus bloodline was a Submissive.”

Kieran said, “The Merrow tested and confirmed by the court is a Submissive.”

Frazil nodded in acceptance of that and moved away from James respectfully. Clearly, he assumed James was the Submissive. Alcandor could not blame Frazil for that misconception. Being unwell, James’s scales were bleached out with his stress and it was hard to discern his true coloration. Frazil did not seem to be a threat but there was an unmistakable glint in his mother’s eyes. Alcandor was about to demand they leave when Frazil and his mother seemed to freeze in time.

Alcandor turned and saw Krym was also frozen. He whirled around and was slightly relieved to see Rydia and James were unaffected and that Kieran and Killigan both seemed to be moving in slow motion. “What is this?”

“A call to your Oceanus blood,” said a voice that was pure ice. The white-clad form of Lady Death appeared in the room followed by a landwalker. The landwalker was clearly displeased to be floating about the room.

“Derek Peverell.” Rydia nodded to him.

“Rydia Oceanus,” Derek said, before he frowned at his Immortal lover. “I told you I did not need your interference, love of mine. Rydia and I could have arranged this without you putting your foot in it.”

“It would have taken too long.” Death waved her hand and released the freeze on Killigan, Kieran, and Krym.

“Rydia, I intend to bring James’s bloodline back fully into the Peverell Clan in the morning and his Bonded Gheyo warned me of his condition. I wanted to check him to see if he can handle it and to see if I can help with what was done to him.”

“It cannot hurt for you to have a look,” she agreed and smiled at Killigan when they moved. They turned and helped pull Derek to the bed beside James since he was very awkward swimming.

“Thank you,” Derek said to them before he smiled at James. “Hello, James. I am Head of the Peverell Clan from which your Sire and Grandsire were born. You probably do not know what happened to you so I will give you the basics. While I was on Earth, the Clan had an Acting Head. The lady tried to disown anyone who was loyal to Lady Death. She did this to Harry and the ritual magic went through the bloodline, effectively disowning you and your uncle in the process. As I said, I intend to reverse this in the morning to give you back the magic of the Peverell Clan—if you want that.”

“I do. I have felt so foreign in my own body since this happened.”

“We aim to fix that for certain. Do I have your permission to check your core magic?”

James nodded and relaxed as Derek’s magic washed over him. “His core seems stable enough to handle it but you may want to call in a Soulmagic specialist to verify whether or not he will need a Soulcast after the fact.”

“We can take care of that,” Alcandor agreed.

Derek then motioned to James’s head. “Can I take a peek up there and see what that Torvak was up to?”

James nodded again but frowned as Derek slipped into his mind. The older man was as gentle as he could be but James eventually cried out in distress and Derek pulled out. “Forgive me, young one. I did not mean to upset you.”

James shook his head, grateful that his tears were not obvious in the underwater palace. “Did you find anything?”

Derek nodded. “I will go work on a plan to undo what he did. It will be a long and slow process given that you distress easily at mental intrusion. But we will work on it one step at a time. Does he have a Merrow Mind Healer?”

“Not yet. We were going to bring one in in the next few days if his physical recovery continues to progress.”

“When you assign someone, have them contact me. We can work together to set things right.” Derek turned back to Rydia and James. “Do either of you have questions for me?”

James asked quickly, “Harry? How is Harry?”

“He is settling down fairly well now that his Circle is whole again. His core is a bit more unstable. I get the feeling we will likely need to do a Soulcast on him. He is Magic Sensitive, Ferros, Empathic ....” He trailed off, sighing a bit, but also smiling. “Just to name a few things that we are contending with. But he has a large Circle and a larger family Circle to support him. He will be fine.”

James groaned as he rubbed his head. “My mind is such a mess.”

“How so?” Derek asked because he got the feeling James was not talking about Dumbledore trying to get him to kidnap his own son.

“I know him as my son. My little baby. But I only had him for fifteen months… Then they changed me and made me grow up again. As Oliver Wood, I came to see Harry as my surrogate little brother. The little first-year student I took under my wing for three years of school, sharing our love of Quidditch. And the little brother I have still written to once every few weeks since I graduated again.” James shook his head in agitation. “My instincts are so confused.”

 “Everyone’s instincts are confused. I have spent the day with your Uncle and his Circle, learning about Harry and his family,” Derek offered the young man in an attempt to soothe him. “For example, you have Harry knowing that Petunia is his Mera but all he can see is the woman who stood by and let the Torvak she was made to marry abuse him. Then there is Dudley. He sees Harry as both the cousin he was forced through magic to pick on and hurt as well as the little brother he loves and wants to protect.”

Derek rubbed James’s flank. “Everyone is having to learn to deal with the mess that Dumbledore made of their minds. You are not alone in that.”

James nodded as he curled into his mother once more. Derek squeezed his thigh. “I will leave you to rest. Your Majesty, with your permission I would like to come and check on James tomorrow around midday after I am sure Harry is recovering.”

“I will send a Royal Guard up to the island to meet you. Unless your lovely Bonded will be bringing you again.” Alcandor smiled and bowed to the Immortal.

Death chuckled. “No, I will likely be coddling my son up on the island. He and I could use some one-on-one time.”

Derek shook his head. “And you wonder why the other Immortals complain about you favouring him.”

“They can stuff it. Harry is mine and I will not let them say otherwise.”

Derek shook his head and hugged his Lady from behind. “Come on, you may not need the rest but I should. I want everything to go smoothly tomorrow morning.”

Death huffed and the pair vanished from the room. Frazil and his mother were slightly dazed as they woke up. Enough so that Krym was able to shuffle them out of the room without a fight. The others exchanged smiles—they owed Lady Death for that helpful outcome.

------