Chapter Text
Harry writhed and thrashed on the dirt in the graveyard of Godric’s Hollow, unable to think as his every nerve exploded with pain under the Cruciatus Curse. Something inside of him shattered, the additional pain only making the experience worse, and his back twisted unnaturally as something grew under his skin and forced its way through the surface.
His chest felt like it would burst, and a scream ripped through him, tearing his chest to pieces and breaking out of him in a long, drawn out howl of pain and despair. It went on for over a minute, Harry screaming the haunting sound and the pain racing through his body.
The curse abruptly stopped, and Harry collapsed limply on the ground. He was dimly aware of more people surrounding him than previously, and the sounds of combat, but was too exhausted and pained to process it, slipping into unconsciousness as an unfamiliar, but extremely concerned-looking blonde hovered over him.
—-----------------—-----------------
Theodore Gorgens-Nott, known to those on Earth as Theodore Nott, looked around the graveyard where he’d been unceremoniously dumped by a pillar of white light and scowled. His arms and scales began to burn as temporary claim marks settled in, more than he could count at the moment. Well over a dozen. Even at sixteen he was capable of recognizing a soulscream, and judging by the Death Eaters he was still on Earth.
He’d better be on Earth. If the Death Eaters had spread to another realm without him realizing it then there were a whole other set of problems to deal with.
He looked around quickly, scanning for his new submissive. He frowned when he saw him lying on the ground, clearly in pain and apparently having a forced inheritance. He grimaced. Forced inheritances were nothing good.
Theo made his way over as quickly as he could, dodging spells from Death Eaters and returning fire when convenient. By the time he’d arrived, a blonde had already begun examining the submissive, his magic clearly marking him as both an Earth type and a Healer. That was a relief.
Theo looked down at his submissive, looking him over in more detail, and his jaw dropped. Harry Potter was not someone he had ever considered as a potential dragel, especially a submissive. Even less so his submissive.
He looked around again, scanning his new circle mates more closely, now wondering if he would recognize anyone else. His eyebrows raised when he saw three redheads. He most certainly recognized the Weasley twins after four years of school with the menaces. He was less familiar with the larger redhead, one of the Weasleys that had already graduated before he started. Still, he was fairly certain that it was the second eldest, the dragon tamer from the first task. Charles or Charlie? He frowned. There had never been any indication that the Weasley family had dragel roots, and all three were reacting as though their inheritances were new. Suppressions, he assumed. Likely linked to their blood traitor status, which would be a nightmare and a half to fix.
He frowned when he saw another dragel near the trio, one who appeared to be fluxing? That couldn’t be anything good.
As an oddly familiar honey-blonde man, a brunette with extremely large wings, a blue male, and a pale, almost translucent man that seemed to overflow with purple magic approached the four, hovering over and protecting them, Theo moved on.
His frown deepened when he took in a fire in front of a grave that had clearly been used in some sort of ritual. He didn’t have the talent for identifying rituals to know what exactly had been done, but something clearly had. He’d have to check Harry later to make sure nothing in it harmed him, and if it did…well the circle must have gheyos for a reason.
His frown turned into an outright scowl when his gaze fell on the dead body of Cedric Diggory, and his claws forced themselves the rest of the way out against his will. He couldn’t help but wonder what had happened, and be relieved that it was Cedric, and not Harry, that had died.
He continued his examination, surprised again, though somewhat relieved to find one more he recognized. Blaise Zabini was one of his best friends in the wizarding world, and it was a relief to have him around in a strange circle. Especially a circle where he was given no choice in any of his bonded.
Theo growled as two men came up on either side of him, slightly behind him. Both moved fully into his line of vision, and one whispered to him, “Let us brace you, Alpha.” Theo growled lightly at the implication he would need bracing, but settled at the recognition of his rank, focusing again on the battle around them. It was admittedly somewhat grounding to have them brace him, the Earth one more so than the Air one.
Within minutes, the Death Eaters were all dead, the gheyos clearly highly efficient. Though, Theo thought wryly, wizards weren’t really all that much of a challenge for any experienced dragel. The power levels dragels had as a norm were so much higher than any wizard’s it was laughable. Still, it was good to know his new gheyos could handle this. Theo couldn’t help the grim pleasure he took in the deaths of Death Eaters. Any friends of his father’s were enemies of his, even before his new submissive was added to the picture.
He wondered idly how many of his classmates’ parents were here tonight, but pushed the thought aside. It didn’t really matter how many. They chose their side, and it was against his Harry. The gheyos were just giving them what they deserved for that.
Theo gave a sharp whistle, summoning everyone as close as possible, then cast a portal surrounding everyone, taking them all to his family manor. Everyone was jolted a bit as they landed, but it was a shockingly calm portal otherwise.
Much better than Theo had ever expected for this many people.
Much better than his own, admittedly considerable, elemental magic was capable of alone.
Powerful magic had been added to his, some earth and some another element, likely air. And not just any elements, either. Both had been extremely deep and strong, yet subtle, easily merging with his own. He was tempted to demand answers of the two dragels who had approached before the portal and offered help, as they were the most likely to have fed in the magic, but his new submissive took priority. He could get answers later.
Before Theo could even blink or catch his breath, he couldn’t help but roll his eyes as two figures attacked another three, and Blaise and another jumped into the fray a minute later. Gheyos. He’d never really understand them, even after all these years with Ilsa.
Speaking of Ilsa, with four new inheritances, three blood traitors, and just the situation in general, he very much wanted her here. He quickly reached for their mentor-student bond, pulling sharply on it and transferring a need for her to be here, but the fact that he was safe. He didn’t need her porting in with her killing aura, that would only make it worse.
He then turned to the Healer caring for Harry, only to find him and the white-haired man with the violet magic apparently squabbling about Harry’s care, though only the one with the white hair was speaking that he could hear. He watched as the Healer glared at the older man, but eventually rose and moved to the Weasleys, quickly beginning to cast spells over them.
“How is he?” he demanded after a second.
“Oh, words. That’s good. You’re not feral yet,” the white-haired dragel commented.
“Riven…” the Earth dragel that had supported Theo through the portal sighed.
“He’ll be fine. His inheritance is coming in properly, somehow, his shattered seals are mostly fine, again somehow, and if I could just figure out what this trembling is, we’d be good.”
Theo frowned. “Trembling? How are his nerves?”
The white-haired dragel, Riven, Theo supposed, shot him a sharp look. “A disaster, though I can’t find a reason for them to be. What do you know?”
Theo growled at the attitude in the statement, but answered anyway. “Those …people… are well known here for their fondness of the Cruciatus Curse.”
Riven’s eyes flashed purple and his magic swelled around him dangerously. The Earth dragel by Theo quickly approached, soothing him. “What is the Cruciatus Curse?” He asked after a second, looking between Theo and Riven. “Some sort of wizard magic, I presume?”
Riven shifted the Earth dragel out of the way and began to chant some form of enchantment over Harry, so Theo replied. “Of a sort. It is technically forbidden, but it is a spell that causes every nerve ending in the body to react in pain with no external sign.”
Raspen’s eyes went black, and he quickly chanted his binding spell, calling on Ergen several times to help him control his magic.
“What!” a voice behind Theo yelped, one Theo did not recognize but the Healer clearly did, as he immediately waved the green-haired fae over to him, the gheyo that he assumed was his guard following.
“What.” a second voice deadpanned from right behind Theo, one he easily recognized.
Theo turned to his mentor, quickly holding out his hand for a knowledge transfer of all he knew about the situation. She took it easily, her expression darkening. There was no need to ask to know how she felt about this. Blood traitors. Suppressions. Early inheritance. Torture of an underage, uninherited dragel. Nothing about this situation was good, except maybe that he could get the whole circle to Nevarah and just stay there for as long as possible, safely away from the wizarding world. He’d completed four years of Hogwarts. That would have to be enough to satisfy the requirements. Either way he’d be going to Nevarah with his new circle as soon as possible.
“Mera!” The honey-golden-haired male that had looked so familiar called out, staring at Ilsa.
“Ariki?” Ilsa gasped in shock, pulling him over in front of her, right next to Theo so she could inspect him too. Theo and Ariki exchanged glances, both very curious about who the other was. Ilsa clearly noticed this, as she commented, “You’ve met many times, you know. Ariki, my second eldest, Theo, my mentored student.”
Theo nodded, vaguely remembering at least hearing of Ariki, though not actually meeting him many times. Ariki hummed in affirmation, likely feeling the same.
A throat was cleared behind them. “Perhaps introductions of everyone involved in this soul scream would be useful.” Theo looked over and smiled slightly. Aracle was one of his favorites out of those he’d met in Ilsa’s circle.
The fact that he always had candy had nothing to do with it. He was more mature than that.
—-----------------—-----------------
It took several minutes and a good deal of shuffling and growling, but they were eventually arranged in a circle in the manor’s largest courtyard, Theo holding Harry on his lap with Ariki to his left and the Earth and Air dragels that helped with the portal to his right. Ilsa stood behind Ariki, and Riven behind and between Theo and the Earth dragel, still monitoring Harry. The Weasleys were lying out all next to each other, with the blonde Healer and a female Healer that had come to help at some point hovering over them. The young dragel that had been fluxing earlier was being hovered over by the dragel with the large wings and the merrow.
A merrow. With three Weasleys. That should be interesting.
Theo glanced around, suppressing a grimace as he realized that he’d have to go first. “I’m Theodore Nott -” Ilsa coughed and flicked his head “- Gorgens-Nott, Alpha. This is Harry Potter. The twins are Fred and George, the older one I believe is named Charlie.”
“Parents or mentors?” Someone Theo hadn’t noticed before asked. He shivered. The speaker was clearly a shadow, gheyic alpha.
“Harry’s parents are long dead, I don’t know of a mentor. I had never heard of dragel heritage in his line, but it would have been kept secret. The other three have two living parents, though you’d have to ask them for any more information than that. I don’t know of any dragel heritage there either, though they are known blood traitors.”
Several people frowned and shifted at that. Theo nudged Ariki lightly with his elbow, prompting him to go next. “Ariki Deveraine. Air element, Beta. I work as a flight instructor.”
A dark-skinned man went next. “Brishen. Gheyo Joker.”
The merrow glared at everyone, but spoke. “Alec. Merrow, if you landwalkers really need it spelled out.” He shot Brishen a dirty look and hissed at him. Brishen growled back.
“Bran Kadel. Nameless,” the younger dragel next to him added in before Alec and Brishen’s bickering could escalate.
"Wikhn. Dark Fae, gheyo," was next, seeming about as friendly as the Merrow.
“Ethan Hartwood. Earth, Pareya.” The Earth type with the large wings commented.
“Devrim Ekene.” A dark-skinned dragel next to him commented, then glared at the group in general.
“Chatty, huh?” a high voice commented from where its owner was sitting practically on top of another dragel. The dragel he was sitting on promptly twisted his ear.
“Behave. Idan Kaelior and Minh Shiae. Air Gheyos,” he added.
“Blaise Zabini, Gheyo Joker,” Blaise added.
“Quinn Kalzik. Healer, Earth.” He sounded very distracted, alternating between looking over at Harry, Bran, and the Weasleys.
“Hadrian Maruke. Shadow, Ace, contracted to the Cunningham circle” the masked Gheyo commented.
“Blood Raven.” Bharin commented, causing Ilsa to look over from where she’d been focused on Theo and Ariki.
“Puppet Master. Blood Wraith.” Hadrian commented, nodding to Bharin, then Ilsa.
Theo couldn’t help the eyebrow raise. A blood title. Probably for the best, considering Harry’s luck. They may very well need his abilities if even a quarter of the rumors he’d heard in the last four years were true.
“Peryton. Air type. Advisor, most likely.” The Air type that had helped stabilize the portal went.
“Your highness!” Minh exclaimed, staring at him in shock.
Theo glanced over at him, questioning.
“Prince of the Air Courts, though not a Crown Royal,” he added reluctantly. A murmur of surprise went around the room, making him grimace.
After a moment, attention turned to the last sitting dragel, making him make a slight face. “Raspen, crown prince of the Earth courts.”
A louder murmur of surprise went around the room, and Ilsa chuckled softly at the shock coming from both Theo and Ariki. It was definitely a surprise to have her son and her almost-son bonded to the same submissive, especially by soulscream, but she was sure they’d be good for each other, and the circle present would be a good one for them.
She was familiar enough with most of the Gheyos, and was certain that Hadrian and Wikhn would be more than adequate protection for Theo and Ariki. Idan Kaelior would be an interesting combination with Wikhn, but she remembered him fairly well and he would be a decent Queen.
Prince Raspen’s presence would guarantee Theo’s Earth element was satisfied, and the Kalzik and Hartwood certainly wouldn’t hurt. Prince Peryton’s presence would do the same for Ariki’s air element, with help from the two Air Gheyos. Overall, the circle was probably about as good as she could hope her two children (even if Theo was not officially hers) would find.
Once everyone calmed down from Raspen’s announcement, the attention turned to Riven. “Riven Cariothe. Storm Mage.”
Almost as soon as Riven was finished speaking, Ilsa spoke up. “Who has experience with a blood purification ritual? All three redheads will need them, in addition to handling their new inheritances.”
—-----------------—-----------------
Within minutes, everyone had separated. Those not in the circle, with the exception of only the Cunninghams, took the three Weasleys into the nearby casting grounds to begin the ritual, while Quinn and Riven both turned their attention to Bran and Harry again.
Quinn went over to Bran somewhat reluctantly. He had wanted to check Harry over, but Riven got there first. He would still be examining him before they left here though. His instincts demanded nothing less.
Apparently Ethan also had the idea to try to calm the young Consort, but when he tried to reach out for him, the Consort shied away with a small cry, “Don’t touch me!”
Quinn frowned. That didn’t sound good. He approached slowly, casting the spell that would let him draw words in the air. ‘Are you ok?’ he spelled out.
Bran read the words, looked at him for a second, then shrugged. “The portal and soulscream shook my control. I’m trying to get control again, its just taking a while.”
Quinn nodded once. That made some degree of sense. ‘A touch based ability?’
Bran nodded.
Quinn shifted slightly. ‘I’ll still need to do the diagnostics and treat anything I find, but I’ll avoid touch while doing them. Is there anything else I should know?’
Bran shifted awkwardly. “Magic sensitive.”
Quinn quickly adjusted the spell he was going to cast, then cast it. Nothing too bad wrong with Bran, just some pulled muscles and minor exhaustion. Some minor concerns if left untreated, but no real risks or dangers. ‘Some exhaustion and strain. You should try to take a nap when I’m done, but first let me deal with some of the strains.’
Bran hesitated, but eventually nodded, moving over to a bench and lying down. Quinn stood over him for a while, tending to strains and a lightly sprained shoulder caused by the portal and fluxing. That done, Quinn turned to Ethan. ‘And now, your turn.’
Quinn suppressed a smirk at the reluctant resignation on Ethan’s face at that. No dragel liked medical examinations, but at least he was cooperative.
He somehow doubted that all the others would be equally cooperative.
—-----------------—-----------------
Raspen frowned as he watched Riven work on their new submissive, extremely concerned about what he’d heard so far. Harry still being unconscious now, after Riven had been working for over an hour and a half was indicative of how bad his state must have been. And his size…
“How old is Harry?” Raspen asked hesitantly once he could no longer resist, looking at the Alpha, who’d seemed to recognize the submissive.
Theo grimaced. “Fourteen.”
Raspen winced. Fourteen was far too young for an inheritance, even worse one triggered by something as bad as torture. If he had his way, Harry would be protected and pampered forever, never feeling pain again.
Realistically, he knew that he couldn’t shield his submissive - any of his bonded, really - from all pain, but he could do his best to shield him from most things.
He glanced at his new Alpha, considering his apparent youth, but eventually decided that it would probably be better to wait until a less tense situation to ask his age. It wouldn’t do to push Theo any closer to his instincts than he already must be, no matter how impressive his control seemed so far. A feral Alpha would help no one.
Raspen considered Harry again. He was so small, so delicate looking. He couldn’t help but wonder if there was more than just Harry being fourteen. He looked even younger and smaller.
A while later, he was yanked out of his consideration by cursing from Riven. “Kalzik, I hope you have no healings planned for the next month. He’s got a dozen different seals, some already broken - probably the soulscream - and a few more fraying now, but others will require more delicate removal.”
Quinn looked over sharply, glaring at Riven. Riven sighed. “Two soul seals, one shattered, another dissolving. The dissolving one is intertwined with two others - death and prophecy-” Bran cut him off with a hiss. Several in the circle growled, including Theo and the Gheyos.
Riven rolled his eyes and continued after a moment of Bran saying nothing. Three familial - two Evanson and one Peverell. One Evanson is rune-based.”
Raspen’s eyebrows shot up and he and Peryton exchanged looks. Peverell and Evanson heritage would certainly make things easier for both of them with their courts. Mixed circles were never really approved for royals, especially crown royals like Raspen, but at least it was a strong circle with a submissive from powerful families in both courts. It wouldn’t stop the scandal, but it would mitigate it some as long as the connections could be confirmed.
Raspen frowned. Normally, they would be very careful not to step on any claws with a clan recognition and claiming as family, but these weren’t normal circumstances. There were too many questions - how had an underage dragel ended up alone on Earth? Why did no one know about him? - to ignore, and fourteen was young enough that family connections would be absolutely required.
Riven continued on. “Three placed by a mentor, two intended for protection.”
Theo interrupted this time. “A mentor? Shouldn’t they have sensed the scream and come by now?”
Riven shrugged. “You would think, but maybe not. The third with a mentor’s signature is another death seal - “
This caused a minor uproar, with several slipping into halfling transformations.
Riven continued over the noise. “- that appears to have been an attempt to move the first death seal to his mentor instead. There are also general magic seals, one for wizarding magic and one for elemental. Those are frayed but not quite broken yet.”
It took almost an hour for everyone to calm down after that revelation, likely longer than usual due to Harry’s age and unconsciousness. Raspen was interested to note that while the gheyos were predictably furious, Hadrian and Brishen seemed to be the most so, followed closely by Blaise. He was also surprised when Blaise seemed to instantly gravitate towards Theo, as it was very rare for a joker soul bonded to a submissive to immediately accept anyone else in a circle. Especially an Alpha.
“Any idea what to do about Hogwarts? Our disappearances will be noticed.” Raspen heard Blaise ask Theo, and his curiosity was piqued.
“I’m tempted to say screw them,” Theo commented. “I’d rather go to Nevarah than back to Hogwarts. It’ll certainly be safer for all of us.”
Blaise simply nodded. He seemed to have expected this answer from what Raspen could tell. Still, he had to ask… “Hogwarts?”
Theo glanced over at him. “Wizarding school here. Blaise, Harry, the twins, and I all go, and Charlie used to go.”
Raspen simply nodded. That honestly raised more questions than it answered - like why was Ilsa Gorgens’ mentored student attending wizarding school after he’d clearly had a dragel inheritance - but now didn’t seem like the time to ask. Later, once they were settled somewhere safe with everyone healthy. There were several questions that would need answered later, he mused, continuing to watch Riven work.
Just over an hour later, Riven sighed and stepped back. Theo immediately approached Harry, crouching down next to him as he began to stir. Raspen quickly followed, standing over Theo with Peryton just behind him. Harry’s eyes blinked open, and Raspen couldn’t help but find him absolutely adorable with those big, bright green eyes.
—-----------------—-----------------
“W- What happened?” Harry asked, looking around in confusion. Last he remembered he was being tortured by Voldemort in the graveyard. Now he was in a courtyard somewhere surrounded by strangers.
No, that wasn’t completely true. He recognized two as students in his year at Hogwarts, both Slytherins. Everyone else was a stranger though. Oddly, he felt inclined to instinctively trust them, though he knew that made no sense.
He squirmed slightly, trying to sit up but was gently pressed back to the ground by the golden-eyed Slytherin. “Easy, just lie down until Riven clears you.”
Harry sank back into the floor, then repeated, “What happened? And who are you?”
The Slytherin raised an eyebrow, then replied. “Theodore Gorgens-Nott. Theo, preferably. Though you should really know that after four years of school. As for what happened, what do you know about dragels?”
Harry frowned. He’d never heard of dragels. “Never heard of them. What does that have to do with anything? Where am I? Where are the Death Eaters? Voldemort?”
Theo paled slightly. “Voldemort was there?”
Harry nodded. “What happened?”
Theo sighed. “That’s a fairly complicated explanation, but firstly we are in my family’s manor. We are all safe here. The Death Eaters that were in that graveyard are all dead, and I don’t specifically know about Voldemort but I assume he is too.”
Harry’s eyes widened. “All of the Death Eaters are dead?”
Theo nodded. “All of them. They won’t hurt you again.”
A tall, masked Gheyo growled. “They never should have had the chance in the first place.”
Harry stared at him in shock, taken aback by the obvious protectiveness from someone he never met before. He then looked him over, and was even more shocked. The man was carrying more weapons than anyone he had ever seen before.
The Slytherin - Theo - sat next to Harry, gently pulling him to sit between his legs with his back against Theo’s chest. Harry went bright red and twitched slightly at the close contact with a near-stranger. Theo made a rumbling sound in his chest that relaxed Harry, though that confused him even further. Why would a stranger rumbling make him feel better?
Another golden-eyed man approached Harry and Theo, sitting a couple feet away facing them and smiling. “Hello, little one. My name is Ethan.”
Harry smiled slightly. “Hi.” He couldn’t help but like this Ethan. He had an open, friendly face and just generally seemed unusually likable and approachable.
Ethan smiled a little brighter then started speaking, “Dragels are a magical race of human-dragon elementals. We can -”
Harry interrupted. “What do you mean we? I’m not a dragel.”
Ethan continued smiling at him. “You weren’t a dragel, but what happened in that graveyard triggered an early creature inheritance, turning you into a dragel a little earlier than you usually would have become one. Most of those here are also dragels, with a few that are other creatures.”
Harry looked around again, this time actually paying attention to who he saw. He was surprised to notice that several of the people around him had wings and scales, and one even had a tail. He blinked as the tail disappeared as soon as the man realized he was looking at it, blushing bright red. It was oddly cute, for a grown man, Harry mused.
Harry turned back to Ethan. “And how did I end up here? With all of you?”
Ethan winced slightly. “What happened in the graveyard forced your inheritance out early, but in addition to that it was bad enough that you gave what’s known as a soulscream. To really explain that, first know that dragels bond - essentially marry - in groups known as circles. All circles have at least an Alpha, a Beta, and a Submissive, then most have a few Pareya, Gheyos, and other ranks. An Alpha is like the leader of the circle. They make sure that the whole circle is working together and cared for. The Beta is like a helper to an Alpha. They help with all of an Alpha’s duties, and help mediate disputes between the Alpha and the rest of the circle. The Submissive is the heart of the circle. They help care for everyone in the circle, along with any children the circle has. They also help keep the entire circle united. Does that make sense so far?”
Harry frowned. “Which am I?”
Ethan smiled gently. “You are the Submissive, little one.”
Harry bit his lip nervously. He didn’t like what that implied. Submissive. Would it be like the Dursleys again?
Ethan continued after Harry didn’t say anything for a moment. “Next are the Pareya. Pareya are protectors. They will always defend anyone in their circle if there is a threat, but most days they just take care of their circle by making sure everyone is fed, cared for, and not overworking themselves.” Harry tilted his head for a moment, considering. That implied that even if being a Submissive would get him stuck with housework, he’d have help with it. Ethan continued. “I’m a Pareya, and one or more of the redheads is probably one as well.”
Harry looked around in confusion. He didn’t see any redheads.
Theo immediately realized what Harry was confused about. “He means the Weasleys. Fred, George, and Charlie. They were blood traitors, so they are having rituals done to purify their blood.”
Harry frowned. “What do you mean? I didn’t know they were dragels. And what do you mean purify their blood?”
Theo shifted Harry slightly so that he could see his face, but Harry could still see Ethan. “The Weasleys are a family of known blood traitors. Dragels are made primarily of blood magic, so blood traitors’ blood is like poison to us. Because of this, they have to have their blood purified or it will poison them. They weren’t previously dragels because someone sealed their inheritances, making them seem like normal wizards.”
Harry frowned, but nodded. He was still confused about how they were dragels, but needing their blood not to poison them at least made sense.
Ethan continued again, “Next are Gheyos. I’ll let them explain their specific ranks within that category themselves, but overall they are fighters. They live to fight and will do anything to protect their circle and destroy any threats, especially to their Submissive.”
Harry blushed slightly at that. Did that mean him? They would want to protect him? His eyes drifted to the masked man with all the weapons.
“Yes, I am a Gheyo, an Ace specifically.” He commented. “My name is Hadrian, and I’ll explain the details of what being an Ace entails to you a little later once you’ve covered all the basics and what’s happening now.”
Harry nodded and waved shyly. Someone to his right cooed at him, but when he glanced over he couldn’t tell who it had been.
Ethan continued, “There are many other general ranks, but I’ll just cover the ones we have in the circle, since those are the ones that will be immediately relevant. Riven, here,” he gestured to a white-haired man standing behind him, “is a mage, basically a dragel with extremely powerful magic that requires a lot of responsibilities outside the circle. Quinn, there,” he pointed to a blonde hovering next to a younger-looking dragel, “is a Healer, which is pretty much exactly what it sounds like.”
He glanced over at Harry, who nodded his understanding so far. Powerful magic and a Healer weren’t too hard to understand.
“A Consort, like Bran there, is an underage bonded. He may or may not change ranks when he comes into his inheritance, and then he could be almost any rank. Alec, the blue one, is a Merrow. They are dragels with a water element. I’ll let him explain more about that, just know that Merrow do things differently.”
Harry nodded again. These two made a little less sense, mostly because both were fairly generic. He’d get more information from them later, though.
Ethan then pointed over to another golden-eyed dragel standing next to Harry. “Prince Raspen, here is a royal,” Harry’s eyes widened at this, “so he’ll also be similar to a Beta, but with more responsibilities outside the circle. Prince Peryton, here, is claiming an advisor rank but is also a royal, so he’ll be roughly the same as Prince Raspen.”
Harry looked the two over nervously. Both smiled down at him, and Prince Raspen sat down next to Theo, gently taking his hand. “It’s lovely to meet you, little one.”
Harry blushed brightly, smiling at him shyly. Prince Peryton then sat down on his other side, brushing his hair back from his eyes. Harry looked over at him, blushing even harder as he took in the warm, inviting face smiling at him.
Ethan continued, “Because of the size of our circle, we might have a second Beta or a Rheyo. A Rheyo is a slightly higher-ranked Beta. I’m not entirely sure, it will depend on your fire types.”
Harry frowned. “Fire types?”
Theo was the one to answer. “Your three Weasleys. The red hair makes it pretty obvious their elements will all be fire.”
Harry nodded. That actually made some degree of sense, for once. Fire was red, and Weasleys were known for their fiery hair and tempers. “What element am I?”
Theo frowned for a second, not actually sure, then Quinn spoke up. “Nameless, which basically means your primary abilities are not elemental, they are based around a specific talent or talents. Yours is empathy, which allows you to feel and, to a degree, influence the emotions of others around you. You seem to have another, but it likely won’t show up until you’re at least 16, more likely older.”
Harry frowned. Of course he’d be an exception, and not have a standard element like the others. After a second though, he noticed that his bonded all looked rather impressed by that.
“You’ll be a bundle of fun, won’t you? Seals, empathy, fire types?” the blue man, Alec commented.
Harry whined softly at the comment, prompting Theo to pull him closer, tucking his face into his neck as he glared at Alec over his head. Harry couldn’t help but lick at the neck right in front of him, then again, then biting into it and enjoying the blood flowing into his mouth. After a second, his mind caught up with his actions and he went to pull away, but Theo’s hand had come up to rest on the back of his head, stroking his hair and holding him in place. “Shh, you’re alright. Take what you need.”
Harry whined, but kept drinking for a few more seconds before pulling away and licking the bite mark, watching in shock as it turned into a tattoo. “What was that?” he asked.
Theo smiled at him. “Claim marks. Dragels exchange them before bonding.”
Harry looked at him nervously. “Does that mean you’re going to bite me?”
Theo nodded. “It won’t hurt more than a pinch, and it will feel better after.”
Harry nodded. “Do it.”
Theo leaned in slowly, biting into Harry’s neck and drinking briefly, before pulling back and healing the wound, leaving the first claim mark on Harry. He then pulled Harry in for a proper hug, relaxing slightly as the bond settled between them. Harry gasped. That hadn’t hurt at all, it was nothing like what he expected. And the emptiness in his chest that he hadn’t even noticed before eased slightly as something clicked into place between him and Theo. He smiled slightly. If he felt that much better after just bonding to Theo, maybe he’d feel really whole after bonding to everyone. It was a nice dream, at least.
Harry just relaxed into Theo for a few minutes, enjoying the contact instinctively, even though he knew logically that he shouldn’t be so comfortable in a near-stranger's arms. Finally, “What was that other thing you mentioned? A soulscream?”
Another dragel was the one to speak up this time, a dark-scaled man with pink eyes and a ridiculous number of visible weapons. “Submissives initiate bonding in one of three ways. The first is a heart cry, which is voluntary and basically just a statement of interest that can be accepted or rejected. The second is a soul cry, which is involuntary on the submissive’s side, and indicates a soul bond is present. A soul bond means that the people are intended to be together by fate. It can still technically be rejected, but most wouldn’t do that. The third and last is a soulscream. Soulscreams happen in moments of great need, and summon all of your soul bonded to your side to protect you. They happen only under extreme circumstances, when there is no hope left. That is what happened in the graveyard. We won’t know the exact details of what happened until you tell us, but whatever it was was enough to force out your inheritance early and trigger a soulscream.”
Harry shivered, reluctantly remembering what happened in the graveyard. Cedric, the ritual, the Cruciatus, it was no wonder that it was enough to cause all of that. Even just the task in general would be enough. Krum using the Cruciatus, the acromantula, Fleur lying on the ground motionless…He huddled slightly closer to Theo, who nuzzled his neck gently in response.
—-----------------—-----------------
Alec frowned, watching the submissive seek comfort from his alpha. His comment had been snarky, but not overly so, he felt. He must be even more sensitive than most landwalkers. That or just agitated from the events of the night. That may also be a factor.
Honestly, nothing about this soulscream was what he’d expected. A circle of landwalkers, with four fire types, would never be ideal, but a nameless sub with a talent for empathy may actually make it so it could work. An air royal would help some, and a storm mage and joker even more in balancing out the fire types so it wasn’t too overwhelming. He frowned. The size of the circle would still make getting time alone with his new submissive more difficult than he’d like.
He sighed softly to himself. The last three and half hours since introductions had been somehow both chaotic and slow, and threw so much information at him while not telling him what he really needed to know. The entire situation seemed to be a mess, as too much was not adding up.
It wasn’t even just the submissive, honestly.
The three fire types with the suppressions were obviously a concern, and their status as blood traitors only increased that. For them to be blood traitors, someone in their family must have knowingly and willingly sealed their dragel inheritances. Completely unacceptable, in Alec’s view.
The alpha, Theo, also had a variety of questions surrounding him. Why was he so close to Ilsa Gorgens? Even closer to her than her own son seemed to be. And why was he attending wizarding school when he was clearly aware of his dragel roots. Honestly, he looked far too comfortable in his status as a dragel and as an alpha for his apparent age. Alec refused to believe he was over 20, and would be shocked if he was 18 yet. That maturity would be good, however, if it continued. A young, insecure alpha could be a nightmare for a circle to work with. One Alec did not want to deal with. If this Theo could control himself and his instincts enough to ensure the circle could function properly, it may actually not be a bad circle for Alec to belong to.
The younger joker, Blaise, Alec believed, was also a major question. He also seemed young, but he didn’t even look 16 yet. That in and of itself was concerning. No one that age should be a joker, he really shouldn’t even have inherited yet unless he was older than he looked. Nothing good could cause an underage dragel to inherit, and it would have to be even worse to also make him into a joker.
Alec sighed again. Six with highly questionable pasts immediately obvious, plus two royals and his own drama. This would be a very interesting circle, one way or another. Alcandor would never let him hear the end of this once he found out. He grimaced. His cousin’s protective streak was guaranteed to go haywire once he found out the situation Alec had landed himself in.
Oh well, Alec thought, snickering slightly to himself as he saw Harry beginning to nod off again. At least it should be fairly easy to redirect the majority of that protectiveness towards Harry. He really was adorable.