Archive of Our Own ^beta

Chapter Text

It started when Alec was in one of his many meetings with the Merrow Royals and their closest advisor, desperately wishing that he was anywhere else right now and didn't have to hear about the Hunt. Yes, it was an important event for Nevarah and one of the few times Aqua-kin’e surfaced in such numbers, but there were other pressing problems for the Courts to deal with right now.

He was also getting really tired of being witness to Alcandor and Killigan's special brand of sappiness and not-so-subtle flirting. Did they not realize they were around family and acting in their respective roles instead of with the rest of their Circle?

Really, they were so nauseating at times.

Alec exchanged a mildly annoyed look with Kieran, starting to wonder which one of them was going to speak up this time.

A second later, he doubled over, gritting razor-sharp, pointed teeth together as the sensation of pure desperation and anguish pierced through his body.

Why did everything suddenly hurt? Hurt to the point where his entire body was screaming at him?

No, not his body.

His soul?

Distantly, Alec was aware of Alcandor, Killigan, and Kieran hovering, just out of reach, each one talking louder than the others. He had some idea of what they were asking, just based on how long he had known each Aqua-kin’e but he didn’t have any answers for them. How could he when he himself had no clue what was going on?

But then his brain grasped onto two syllables uttered by Killigan and it made a bit more sense.

Soul-cry.

The pain, the hurt wasn’t his, so it could only be someone else's. And Alec wasn’t bonded—yet—so it could only be a soul-bond.

He could potentially mute the effect of the soul-cry. Alcandor had that sort of power and Alec knew his cousin would do so if he asked. Muting it would probably be best for the Courts, since it was such a critical time and there was so much going on.

But did he want it to be muted? His Submissive, whoever they were, was surely in a bad situation based on the strength behind the soul-cry. What if their life was threatened and they didn't survive? Could Alec live with himself if that happened, knowing he could have prevented it if he had been there?

Once again, Killigan's words pierced through everything else—it seemed the Royal could always get through to Alec, no matter how feral he went or what the situation was. "Choose—now! Go, or ask for help. It’s up to you, I'm afraid."

Alec's webbed hands scrabbled on his scales for a minute longer, struggling to find something they could sink into and use to brace himself. He was barely aware when his claws broke through his scales and dug into the skin underneath, but the brief spark of pain—this time caused by himself and not unknown individuals—was enough break through some of the instinctual haze.

"Go," he managed to say. “I’ll … go."

"Then go with our blessing," Alcandor said.

A heartbeat later, Alec was aware of a soft kiss being pressed to his forehead and a spell being cast, a spell that would take him where he needed to go.

It did not bode well that Alec had shifted to his landwalker-friendly form when he appeared on the scene.

He cursed when one of the first things he spotted was a Fire dragel razing the Earth with a stream of flames, scorching anyone its path.

Fire types, he thought with faint disgust. No respect for the land or anything that might need to grow there later. Their reckless use of flames made the ground use more water to recover, which meant there was less for him to use if needed.

It gave him some idea of the threat, however, and with help of a nearby pond—more like mud hole—Alec sent a stream of water at the Fire dragel to douse the flames, a stream strong enough to knock the other dragel to the ground.

"No!"

To Alec's immense surprise, a scrap of dark hair and peach-silver scales threw himself at the Aqua-kin’e, claws extended. On sheer reflex, he twisted away before those claws could do any damage and then wrestled the Submissive into a position where neither of them could be easily harmed.

As he did so, he reevaluated the situation. Dragel Submissive, Fire dragel of currently indiscernible rank, a large number of magical humans, and … well, he wasn't quite sure what those creatures were, but they definitely weren’t dragel. Or even remotely human.

Ah. He'd nearly made a monumental mistake then. The threat wasn’t the Fire dragel like his instincts said, but rather the magical humans and weird creatures.

The Submissive struggled in his arms, fighting to get free and calling out the same name repeatedly. "Charlie!"

Alec was going to presume that 'Charlie' was the Fire dragel. Lovely. His soul-bonded Submissive was a landwalker and was … attached to a Fire dragel, of all things.

Kesmar's bloody reefs…

Before Alec could contemplate what that meant for him in the future or reassure his Submissive that 'Charlie' seemed to be taking care of himself—and quite capably too, he was loathe to admit—the earth around them started to rumble.

Alec sighed when the ground split open, bringing a Earth dragel to the surface, and a distinctive Alpha aura practically flooded the immediate area.

The Alpha was young and rather small, given his rank, but he stood tall, fury rolling off of his body-in full halfling form already. He was scenting the air and taking in the situation, his scowl growing when he spotted first a drenched Charlie and then Alec, who was restraining the frantic Submissive.

Almost immediately, he pressed his hands together and began chanting. Alec couldn't hear all of the words being said but the few he could were almost certain to give him a headache in the future.

Brindus. Guardians. Contract. "Exact your price upon my body alone."

Such self-sacrificing words, words that were definitely going to cause problems in the future.

Rarely did anything good come from invoking Brindus bonds and Caspers.

But it meant the Alpha was still in control of his instincts—which couldn't be said about the flamehead—and so Alec would leave dealing with the humans starting to press around them to the other dragel.

Now that the adrenaline was fading, his Submissive's struggling was next to non-existent. Instead, it seemed like he was largely unable to move, aside from the shudders that rippled through his body every minute or so, full body shudders indicating someone dealing with the backlash of using too much magic—more power than they could safely manipulate.

Alec rolled his eyes to the sky when he realized. Why him? Why was it always him that got stuck dealing with these sorts of situations?

Grumbling to himself, he practically shoved his wrist under his Submissive's nose. "Bite," he ordered, and hoped it would be enough until he could get this triad—there were no obvious claim marks aside one he could see on his Submissive's neck, so he could only assume—to a Healer.

Theo was scooping up Shadow from the ground and soothing the little nytura when the scent of dragel blood caught his attention. It wasn't Harry's, thank Arielle, but the smell made his mindset shift from considering Harry to be protected to Harry being in potential danger—again.

His head snapped around and he growled low in his throat as he started to stalk toward the trio of other dragels. "Give me my Submissive," he demanded of the blue-scaled one. "You have no—”

A blue eyebrow rose and a sneer appeared on the lovely creature's face. "Do I not, Alpha?" The words were cool, with just a hint of challenge in them. Theo bristled but the other dragel continued. "Unless you want the next few hours to be public spectacle, you best finish up here and find us somewhere private to move to." Or he would do it himself. The words were implied, but Theo heard it loud and clear.

Golden magic crackled in the air until Charlie interrupted the pair with a quiet whine.

As Theo shifted his attention to the man, he also shifted so his body language wasn’t as threatening. He didn't know anything about the blue dragel yet but he did know that Charlie hadn't been dragel the day before. He remembered how confusing a new inheritance could be, especially during a time of chaos.

Privacy. Yes, they definitely needed that in abundance. And Theo knew where to go, even if it wasn’t ideal.

But first, he would have to mark the other two dragels. It was the only way to settle his instincts enough to take anyone somewhere private.

Charlie was the known variable and the one currently closest to Theo, so the Alpha decided to start here by depositing Shadow into the Fire dragel's arms. "Don’t drop him," he said as he did so. "And if you can, trust me. It will take time and it will hurt, but I will support you through what comes next and I'm sure you will agree that for Harry, it will be worth it."

Tentatively, Charlie nodded—anything for Harry, anything to call Harry his—and the next thing he knew, there were fangs sinking into his neck, biting deep and hard.

Theo gave a pleased rumble when he pulled away and turned do the blue-scaled dragel.

Merrow, he realized belatedly. Ilsa had always said he would know one when he saw them.

Fire dragel and Merrow—there went any thought of having a peaceful life in the near future.

"You don't have to placate or appease me," the Merrow said as he shifted a docile, half-asleep Harry in his arms and held out a wrist to Theo. It was concerning to Theo how quiet the younger dragel was being just then. “Just bite and get it over with. I already have a fair idea of what I’m getting myself into.”

Theo held back a scoff. Maybe by dragel standards, but this was Harry they were talking about. Harry’s Circle, that Theo was lucky enough to be the Alpha of. He and the Gryffindor had only been bonded for a few weeks and friendly with each other a month before that, but even already Theo knew that it was difficult to anticipate what came next when Harry got involved.

Case in point, the current situation.

The Merrow scowled. “Do you need specific words?” he snapped. “Because here’s two—I consent. Now bite, before I bite you.”

Theo growled but bit—harder and deeper than he had bit for Charlie, and he kept his fangs in the Merrow’s wrist long enough to make his displeasure known.

When he pulled away, his eyes had lightened from brown to hazel—still not the normal golden hue of most Earth elementals, but getting closer. Not bothering to look behind him, Theo pulled Charlie closer so he would be in range for what happened next.

A soft blue circle of light hummed to life beneath the quartet.

“Temptrificus Portgas, Hogwarts School of Witchcraft and Wizardry, Slytherin Common Room!”

There was a flash of blue light and when it disappeared, so had the dragels.

Chapter Text

Normally Theo would have preferred to go to Professor Snape’s private quarters, since they were better warded than the common room, but the Slytherin dorms were larger and they might need the extra space. He was only expecting Ilsa and maybe one other, but who knew how many would come for the Merrow.

The common room also extended partway under the Black Lake and the prefects’ bathroom had a large tub sunk into the floor, details that Theo hoped the Merrow would appreciate, especially since they didn’t really have another option at the moment. It wasn’t ideal—much like the circumstances—and he knew that he would stress himself out later trying to make arrangements for a Merrow Bonded, but he wanted to demonstrate that he was willing to try.

He and the Merrow nearly ran into each as they both tried to situate Harry first before dealing with the other, more pressing problems.

“Give him to me,” Theo demanded, hoping that he wouldn’t have to ask for a third time. Harry was his Submissive and he was the only one fully bonded to the Gryffindor right now. Plus he wouldn’t fully settle until he himself had personally checked over the brunet.

“Deal with flamehead first,” the Merrow countered, still holding onto Harry and easily carrying him over to the nearest couch.

Theo’s eyes flashed and his jaw tightened, fangs clenching. “Charlie,” he said deliberately. “His name is Charlie. Not flamehead.” For good measure, he nodded in the direction of the couch. “Harry.” And then he held blue eyes with his own. “Theo. Will you give yours?”

The Merrow blinked slowly for a heartbeat, before shrugging. “Alec.” He rolled his eyes and let out an exasperated sigh when Theo moved towards the couch. “Tend to—Charlie—first. I’ve got this under control.”

“He needs blood—Bonded blood,” Theo returned, eyes darkening a shade as his temper flared ever so slightly. “Alpha’s blood.”

Deciding he was done asking, he stepped over to the couch and bit into his wrist before Alec could stop him.

The Merrow rolled his eyes as Theo dribbled the red liquid into Harry’s mouth. “He needs a lot more than blood, no matter whose it is,” he muttered. “He needs a Healer—all three of you need a Healer.”

Theo stiffened at the words. “Probably,” he agreed, keeping his voice as neutral as possible and moving away to start checking over Charlie once his healing kicked in and his wrist scabbed over. “But unless you can call a Healer through an inter-realm portal or have some healing talents of your own, blood will have to do for now.”

“Don’t underestimate what resources I have at my disposal,” Alec replied coolly.

But interestingly enough, he made no moves to do either thing. Instead, he hovered over Harry and let Theo behave similarly towards Charlie, the Alpha murmuring quiet words of reassurance and promises of explanations in the future as he tended towards the Beta, one golden eye always on the Merrow and the Submissive.

After a few minutes, Theo called one of the house-elves Terius had recruited to bring food. There was enough for everyone, but he wasn’t entirely sure Alec would eat—he knew many things thanks to his mentor but a Merrow’s diet was not one of them.

To his surprise, the other man joined them for the small meal, though he made sure to keep Theo between him and Charlie. And though he joined them, he didn’t actually touch any of the food. He simply scowled at it.

“You’ve got twelve hours,” Alec said abruptly while Theo was feeding Charlie, using the small action to settle the Alpha instincts inside him that demanded he provide for his new Circle members. “And then I’m taking … Harry to Nevarah and their Healers, one way or another.” He paused. “You may accompany, if you desire.”

Theo growled, the sound coming from deep in his chest.

At the growl, Charlie frowned and leaned slightly towards the Alpha, resting a hand on Theo’s knee. The blue-scaled man was quite the novelty for him, but he could tell that this Alec wasn’t a threat—even though there was a not-so-insignificant part of him insisting otherwise.

And even though he didn’t have the faintest clue what was going on with his own self, it seemed obvious to Charlie what was causing the tension between Theo and Alec—they were both trying to care for Harry, in very similar ways and seeing the other as interference.

Also at the growl, Harry stirred from his spot on the couch, becoming coherent again. “T-Theo?”

“I’m here,” Theo called in a low voice. He moved to fill a plate for Harry and his brow furrowed when he realized that Alec had already done so and was standing to make his way toward the Submissive. He huffed as he got to his feet, helping Charlie up as well.

“I called for you,” Harry murmured. “You didn’t come.”

Theo winced at the quiet accusation. “I did come, treasure,” he replied, nudging Alec out of the way right before he came into Harry’s eye line and kneeling down beside the Submissive and pressing a light kiss first to the scar on Harry’s forehead, and then on his lips. “I did come,” he repeated. “I just couldn’t come straightaway, because you did something that I had warned you not to do.”

Harry grumbled, discontent with the answer. He attempted to push himself into a sitting position, but his limbs were heavy with fatigue and it was more painful than he anticipated. He squeaked at the sudden burst of pain and then squirmed as a horrible, aching sensation began to spread through his entire body.

A few feet away, Alec sighed.

“This is what happens when you summon powers you shouldn’t,” Theo scolded mildly. “Don’t worry though, we’re making plans to take care of it. It should be over by tomorrow, hopefully. And food will help, if you think you can eat.”

With those words, he stepped aside to let Alec get closer with the plate of food.

“No Healers,” Harry said automatically, squeezing his eyes shut at the mere thought of having to deal with the dragel equivalent of Madam Pomfrey.

“Yes Healers,” Alec returned.

Green eyes popped open at the strange voice and Harry’s mouth dropped open as he took in the stranger. Blue hair, blue eyes, blue skin. He’d never seen anything like it before, nor had he seen a man—he was fairly positive it was a man, though he was on the androgynous side—so attractive, putting even his Theo and Charlie to shame.

He blinked a few times and chewed automatically when Alec picked up a piece of cubed fruit from the plate and dropped it in Harry’s gaping mouth.  Once he was done chewing, he had a very important question. “Why are you blue?”

Theo raised a hand to cover his mouth and hopefully hide his grin at the words. He bit his fist to smother his laugh when Charlie squeezed the other hand, indicating that he had the same question.

Alec quirked an eyebrow. “Why wouldn’t I be blue?”

The response reminded Theo that Alec had no clue how oblivious Harry was about most things dragel, that his mentor had never shown up and taught him the basics, even simple things like what Merrow were. He opened his mouth to explain but before any words could get out, he was interrupted.

“Temptrificus Ergen, Theodore Gorgens Nott, immediate vicinity!”

A flash of blue light announced the reinforcements that Theo had been waiting for and relief flooded through him at the sound of the familiar voice.

“Oretta,” he breathed when Ilsa stepped out of the fading portal, accompanied by Oracle, her Circle’s Rheyo and one of her two soul-bonded. He gratefully accepted her hug, even when it came with a slap to the back of his head. Alec would insist on bringing Harry back to Nevarah and Theo couldn’t exactly argue with such a plan since it had been one of his as well, but with Ilsa around, he could control their journey a bit more.

Though he didn’t exactly relish the idea of Ilsa being around and being witness to the subtle ways Alec was challenging him.

“Theo,” the Gheyo greeted, squeezing tight. “You worried me. Our conversation ended very ... abruptly.” She looked around, dark eyebrows raising at the sight of first Charlie, and then Alec. With those particular two and the strange sight they made, she barely took notice of the smaller form half-sitting, half laying down on the couch. “I take it this was the reason?”

“Soul-cry,” Alec drawled, making the explanation as succinct as possible.

“Soul-cry or soulscream?” Ilsa asked, crossing her arms.

“If it was a soulscream, I dare say this room would be a lot fuller.”

Ilsa huffed at the answer, trying not to roll her eyes at the completely Theo-like answer. She swore, if there were two of them…

“Charlie’s inheritance is new, just in the past few hours,” Theo continued quietly, squeezing the redhead’s hand. “I believe it was forced out. And Harry, on the couch there, he…” He stopped, unsure how to explain the situation without Ilsa being tempted to kill him afterward.

Alec had no such qualms. “Struggling to manage after channeling too much power through his body,” he reported bluntly. “Likely from using a password gifted to him by one of his Bonded in a moment of great desperation, a moment which then prompted the soul-cry.” And since Charlie’s inheritance was so new and Alec had been called by the soul-cry, there was only one person’s password spell it could be.

Ilsa paled.

Harry struggled until he was sitting up completely. “What’s so wrong with that?” he asked. “He told me to use it if I had no other option and I didn’t! I couldn’t let Charlie die!”

“Why not use your own magic, instead of relying on your Alpha’s?” Ilsa asked sharply, frowning down at the Submissive. He was much too small, even for someone of his rank.

Theo cleared his throat before Harry could start to explain, drawing his mentor’s attention back to him. “That’s what I was trying to explain earlier, Oretta. Harry came into his inheritance over the summer, but he hasn’t been able to access his magic—wizarding or dragel. And he has a tendency to … get into trouble—unintentionally. I gave it to him as a failsafe, though I truly did not think he would ever need to use it.”

“Foolhardy,” Ilsa scolded. “More foolhardy than I would have expected from you Theo.” She turned to Harry. “And did my idiot student explain the consequences of using his password like you did?”

“Theo’s not an idiot!” Harry protested, baring his fangs slightly at the small insult. He deliberately did not answer the question, however, which was answer enough for Ilsa.

She cuffed the back of Theo’s head again. “He is,” she countered. “And you are both extremely lucky. He should have given you my password instead, if things were so serious. I, at least…” She trailed off and shook her head.

“Oretta!” Theo protested.

He was steadfastly ignored as Ilsa gave Harry and Charlie a stern look. “Now, which one of you am I dealing with first?”

The pair exchanged a look.

Chapter Text

“Charlie,” Alec answered for them, before a decision could be made. “I think you’ll find, Oretta-who-is-not-mine, that the consequences invoking a password using Brindus bonds on the base will need to be handled by a Master Healer—at the very least.”

Already Alec had an idea of the Healer he would call on to handle this. One of the Master Healers attached to the Merrow Courts had a son, he recalled, one with very particular talents that would be ideal at sorting out this mess.

“No Healers!” Harry protested again.

Ilsa blinked slowly at the Merrow and his odd title for her, before she realized that no formal introductions—or even informal ones—had been made.

“Ilsa Gorgens, of the Deveraine Circle,” she informed him, before tilting her head towards the dragel who accompanied her. “And Aracle Deveraine. And you are?”

“Alec,” came the curt reply, the tone making it clear that’s all the information that would be provided.

“What do you plan to do?” Theo asked, speaking for Charlie when he felt the Fire dragel grow nervous.

“Unbind him and bleed him,” Ilsa snapped. “Isn’t that ones of the reasons you called me when you did, mentioning blood traitors?”

Charlie stiffened and a low growl rumbled in his chest at the words.

“It doesn’t have the same meaning to dragels as it does here,” Theo murmured quietly. “It’s not an insult, but it does have a very specific meaning. Dragels are of Blood Magic and now that you’re dragel, your blood could quite literally poison you—or others.”

The Fire dragel whined in response, a stricken look crossing his face.

“It’s not the first time Ilsa has done something like this,” Aracle said, as if to reassure. “And it’s something that should be done now, rather than waiting even for the few hours it would take to get to Nevarah and go to a Healer, especially when the inheritance has been forced out.”

“If you’re going to talk, make yourself useful and ward the room,” Ilsa ordered him, starting to trace runes on the stone floor of the common room, pulling aside rugs and shifting furniture when she needed. “And then lock it down. No one in or out once this starts—you know how much concentration I need for something like this.”

Alec didn’t like the sound of that. And he certainly wasn’t going to be confined to a single room with limited movement for an untold number of hours—especially with a Fire dragel. “We’ll make ourselves scarce until it’s done then,” he decided, scooping Harry up from the couch.

The Submissive squeaked at the sudden movement. “Wait, what? We? Where are we going?” he demanded and started to struggle, which only made Alec hold on to him tighter.

“There’s a lake outside, yes?” Alec asked, looking straight at Theo and ignoring everyone else in the room.

The Alpha nodded once. “There’s also a bath down the corridor.”

Alec wrinkled his nose. Likely with bath salts and soaps and other stuff that he wouldn’t trust because who knew what landwalkers put in those items. “We’ll be by the lake,” he announced, and then strode out of the room.

“He’s a delight,” Ilsa muttered sarcastically when the door slammed closed behind the pair.

“At least it seems he’s that way with everyone,” Theo said with a sigh. “I was starting to get a bit worried that it was just me before you and Aracle came—thank you, by the way.”

Ilsa slapped him lightly upside the head. “Family doesn’t need to say thank you,” she told him. “And while we may be mentor and student officially, you know I’ve always seen you as one of mine.”

She straightened when all of the runes were officially marked into the stone floors. “Theo, you’ll be my gauge,” she decided, hands on her hips as she surveyed the room. It wasn’t ideal, but it would be able to handle what they needed it for. “Stay by the door, so no one comes in or out. Aracle, once you’re done warding, take a wander out by the lake and keep an eye on our blue friend and Theo’s troublemaker.”

She glanced back at Theo again. “You do know what you’re getting into?” she asked, her tone gentling. “Merrow and Fire? Your Harry certainly has … unconventional tastes.”

To say the least, Theo thought with a silent huff. He had been okay with the idea of Charlie—Fire and Earth elements were complementary.

He might have cautioned Harry a bit more about the matter if he’d thought that a Merrow was going to end up in their Circle, however.

“I’ve got some idea,” he told his Oretta. “But remind me to fill you in sometime about everything I’ve heard about Harry—it’s just secondhand information for the most part, but I think once you hear it, you’ll agree with me that it’ll likely be impossible to anticipate what he’ll do or what will happen in the future.”

Aracle clapped Theo on the shoulder with a large hand. “You’ll have plenty of company to commiserate with then,” he said cheerily. “Delani and Takar, for certain.”

Theo stared at the Rheyo for a minute before he realized what was being implied. Then he shuddered as Aracle left, before going about and helping Ilsa with her preparations.

That was something he really didn’t want to think about—Harry and Bahn being similar.

Harry huffed as he found himself outside on the Hogwarts grounds, being carried down to the Black Lake. He was mostly annoyed at himself and his body for being so weak, which meant that he had no choice but to be carried at the current moment.

His mind was also torn. He hadn't wanted to go, to leave Theo and Charlie—he'd just gotten them back!—but his dragel instincts recognized Alec as someone safe to be with. Safe like Theo. Safe like Charlie would be eventually.

Well, since he couldn't really go anywhere, his limbs still being too heavy to move easily, he might as well ask some questions. He was sure Theo would have answered them eventually but it seemed like his Alpha was dealing with a lot of other things.

He'd caused so much trouble for Theo…

"Oh, for Kesmar's sake, just say what's on your mind instead of sighing," Alec grumbled. "I'm not a telepath."

Harry's brow furrowed. Those existed?

He filed that question away for later since he had more pressing questions in the meantime. Particularly… “What's a soul-cry?"

Alec's blue face stared down at him, teal eyebrows furrowed. "You first ask why I'm blue and then you ask what a soul-cry is," he said slowly.

Harry groaned and grumbled under his breath for a moment, realizing where this was going. "I don't have a mentor," he said, voice flat. "Mine never showed up for some reason. And Theo's been trying, he really has, but it's only been about a week."

"Since you bonded or since you realized he was dragel like you?" Alec asked.

"Both?"

Alec groaned. This was such a mess. 

“A soul-cry happens when there is a soul-bond between a Submissive dragel and another individual," he recited. "There's various ways and reasons they can come about. Since I wasn't actually there when yours happened, I can't say anything for certain, but I believe you were so distressed by whatever threat your … Charlie was facing and your Alpha's delay in responding, that some part of you decided you needed someone else to come."

"You," Harry realized softly. "Sorry."

Alec blinked down at him a few times, an adorably baffled expression on his face. "You're sorry?" he repeated. “Sorry for something you couldn't control?"

What was next? Apologizing for being soul-bonded to him? Apologizing for existing?

Landwalkers. He doubted he would ever understand them.

"Sorry for interrupting whatever you had going on when you heard my soul-cry and decided you had to come," Harry elaborated.

Alec simply shook his head in disbelief. "What I had ‘going on,’ as you put it, was being forced to witness my cousin and one of my closest … friends acting sickeningly sweet towards each other like they do every time they're in the same room,” he grumbled.

'Friends' really wasn't the right word to describe his long relationship with Killigan but the word he wanted to use didn't exist outside of the Merrow dialects. So the term would have to suffice, especially now there was no chance it would ever be anything more—Killigan was bonded to Alcandor and the pair had a full Circle to call their own, while Alec now had his soul-bond to Harry.

Harry couldn't help but chuckle.

By now, they had reached the edge of the Black Lake and Harry was surprised when Alec continued, wading into the cool water.

“What are you doing?"

Harry yelped as a quick spell from Alec banished all his clothes save for his underwear and he was abruptly submerged in the water. He floundered for a moment until he realized that Alec was under him and he was perched quite comfortably on the other dragel’s lap.

"The reason I am 'blue' is because I am Aqua-kin’e—Merrow as you landwalkers prefer. Water is my element, just as Earth is your Theo's."

"Our Theo's," Harry murmured, his brow furrowing. “Shouldn’t it be 'our'?"

Alec's lips pressed together, forming a thin line. They could quibble about that later, especially since he was still trying to form an opinion about the Alpha and whether he deserved an Aqua-kin’e’s loyalty or not. He would give himself fully to Harry, since a soul-bonded Submissive was something to be treasured, despite the circumstances, but the other two still needed to prove themselves.  Instead, he used his webbed hands to pour cool water over Harry's body.

A contented chirr slipped out of the dark-haired Submissive. The water was cold but it felt wonderful on his heavy, aching limbs and muscles. The pain receded, slowly but surely.

“What rank are you?" Harry wanted to know after a minute. "If Theo is Alpha and Charlie is Beta—I think."

"He is, "Alec confirmed reluctantly. He'd finally gotten a gauge on the Fire dragel's rank by the not-so-subtle ways he and Theo were supporting each other. "And I am Merrow." He swallowed a soft chuckle when a confused expression crossed Harry's face. “Our element is so different from the others that most Aqua-kin’e decide to live apart from the landwalkers a long time ago. It's … uncommon nowadays that one of us will surface, let alone decide to bond and live on land. As a result, many landwalkers think that having an Aqua-kin'e in the Circle boosts their status and to recognize that fact and their … respect, such Aqua-kin'e are given special recognition and can decide not to take up a traditional rank, if they desire.”

Harry tried not to roll his eyes. The superiority he could hear was going to take some getting used to, he decided. Was it an Aqua-kin’e thing—he made a mental note to use that phrase, since Alec seemed to have an issue with the word 'Merrow’—or was it just an Alec thing?

"And if you had bonded to an Aqua-kin’e circle?" he prompted. "What rank would you have held them?"

He wasn't sure how he felt about the idea that being bonded to Alec would boost his status in any way. Why couldn't he just be normal for once?

Alec was quiet for a moment, so long that Harry started to wonder of there would even be an answer to his question. "Pareya.” The word was quiet, barely audible despite how close Harry and Alec were to each other. “Which means—”

“Protector," Harry interrupted, indescribably happy to know something for once. "I know. I've met one before."

Alec's blue eyes narrowed. "Who?"

Harry cleared his throat awkwardly. "Teacher Terius. He's bonded to another professor and one of Theo's … housemates." Come to think of it, Harry wasn’t actually sure if Theo considered Malfoy a friend or an acquaintance.

Alec's blue eyes narrowed even further. "Teacher? How long have you been in school?"

“Month and half," Harry answered absently, before he caught on. He shook his head and started to push away from Alec—a futile gesture, since it only made the Merrow hold on tighter. "Don't. He didn't know that I didn't have a mentor and I didn't know that he was dragel. It was a misunderstanding and those issues have been resolved."

He would never get along with Snape, but Terius was trying and even Malfoy had been tolerable since the beginning of the year for the most part.

Alec pursed his lips. "Are you saying you have no quarrel with him?"

Harry tried not to roll his eyes and failed. "Yes," he said firmly. "I have no quarrel with the Snape Circle." Provided he and the Snape Alpha never had to deal with each other without others present.

Alec seemed deflated at the words so Harry quickly tried to think of a way to redirect the conversation. "Tell me more about the other ranks?"

Chapter Text

They had only been talking for a few minutes when they were joined by Ilsa's companion, Aracle.

Reflexively, Alec sneered when he spotted the older dragel, even though the Rheyo had enough common sense to stay on the shore and not come into the water. "Shouldn't you be on guard duty, making sure no one interrupts the others?"

Harry sighed.

"I warded the rooms," Aracle replied in a mild tone, not rising to the bait. "And Theo is acting as Ilsa's gauge. He will make sure she’s not disturbed until the ritual is complete."

"How long?" Alec demanded. He was going to stick to his twelve-hour deadline, whether the others liked it or not. Even twelve hours was pushing it, given that Harry was still struggling to cope with all the magic he'd channeled through him when he'd used that damned password—that much was evident by his struggle moving his arms and legs.

"They will be finished when you are finished here," Aracle replied as he sat cross-legged on the ground, deciding not to mention that he'd used his special Nameless talent of time manipulation to ensure that would be the case no matter how long the Merrow and the Submissive took. For the time being, Ilsa, Theo, and Charlie existed in their own pocket of time, separate from the rest of the realms.

Aracle turned his attention on Harry. "How are you feeling, little one?"

The question was so genuine, so sincere, that it startled the Submissive and he wasn’t sure how to respond at first.

" … Better," he finally settled on. There was still pain and it was still difficult to move, but whatever Alec was doing, whatever magic he was working with the water, it was helping.

"That's good," Aracle said. “That was a lot of magic you channeled through your body. Theo is more powerful than he lets on, powerful enough that he has three Caspers—elemental guardians, if you will—to help him manage it. And he is Ilsa's anchor and connected to her own magic in a way. I think you might have managed to call on an entire Earth Clan's magic, so no wonder your body is suffering, especially if you haven't had access to your own magic and been adjusting to the increased power your inheritance should have brought.”

Most of the information was for Alec in reality, not Harry. The Rheyo had watched Theo grow up through Ilsa and he knew the young Alpha tended to hoard information, only telling others about important facts and details when there was no other choice.

Harry swallowed hard. "That's bad, isn’t it?"

"It's certainly not good," Alec grumbled under his breath.

"You're very fortunate that you had Charlie and Alec here to pass some of the effects onto," Aracle said, more diplomatically. "And that Theo realized and reacted as quickly as he did."

"It's why all three of you need to see Healers—soon," Alec informed Harry bluntly.

Green eyes narrowed. "Four," he corrected. "You're dealing with it to. Unless you're telling me than Aqua-kin’e don't need Healers." His tone implied that he very much doubted that was the case.

Aracle bit the inside of his cheek as he watched the pair interact and fished in his pocket for some mints. They would be good for each other, he could already feel, as he popped one in his mouth—and they would be good for young Theo as well.

Harry frowned. "Is that what she meant by consequences of using the password?" he asked, vaguely recalling something along those lines.

"Ilsa?" Aracle hummed. “Partially. Not entirely though."

“What do you mean?"

When the Rheyo was too slow to answer, Alec scoffed and answered instead. “His Alpha-ness' password relies on something called Brindus bonds," he started and then explained to Harry exactly what Brindus bonds were, including how their base was a spell crafted to forfeit the life of the caster in exchange for the result.

Harry was very pale by the time Alec finished. Then his face twisted and he started turning red.

He struggled against Alec's hold on him. "Let me go!" he ordered. "If he's going to die anyways, I might as well kill him myself!"

Aracle masked his laugh with a cough. "If he’s not dead yet, then it is highly likely that with the right Healers, he won’t die at all. He needs to see them as much as you do, little one."

Harry simply growled and finally managed to squirm free of Alec's grip on him. "Highly likely isn't good enough," he decided. “Unless you're absolutely certain he won't die, I'll just save everyone the trouble and do it myself."

He stomped out of the lake and started pulling on his clothes, uncaring that he was still wet.

Alec opened his mouth, prepared to either diffuse Harry's temper or encourage it—he hadn't quite decided yet—but no words came out. Instead, he tensed as he registered a second Aqua-kin’e presence—and a very familiar one at that.

"Oh dear, did I arrive at a bad time?" a soft voice asked.

Alec's jaw clenched as Harry startled and nearly slipped on the wet shore, saved from falling only by Aracle reaching out to steady him.

"Your timing is always awful," he replied, turning his head to glower at Killigan.

"I gave you twelve hours," Killigan said as they rose from the water.

Alec's scowl grew. "It's been less than three by my count."

"Time difference between realms," Aracle called as he cautiously cast a drying charm on Harry and carefully taking in the newcomer. They were very clearly Merrow, but there was something about them that reminded the Rheyo of Bahn and Bhindi. "Four Nevarean days to one day here, if I recall correctly."

"Realms?" Harry murmured, in slight amazement, feeling dazed both by the words and the sight of another Aqua-kin’e, one that was potentially more attractive than Alec (though he wouldn’t be saying that out loud). He'd never even considered the possibilities that there might be other realms than Earth. Not when he'd been told in muggle primary school that there was no life on the other planets in the solar system.

Then again, he hadn’t been told about magic either back then…

"And I suppose you came on your own without letting anyone else know," Alec scolded, very familiar with the way Killigan tended to operate—ask forgiveness later rather than permission first. And since Krym wasn't there raising a fuss, it was safe to say Killigan was alone—for now.

"I left a message for your cousin," Killigan replied flippantly. "He will only be upset that he could not come himself."

Alec snorted. "If that's what gives you peace. And what about a certain Gheyo?"

Killigan waved a hand. "They will catch up. They always do.”

Krym was going to have to dye their tentacles and hair again, Alec thought. They always did when Killigan stressed them out by pulling stunts like this.

"Alec, introductions?" Killigan asked after a few heartbeats.

"Introduce yourself!" Alec hissed. "You're capable. Unless you really do need me to do everything for you now.” It would also give him a good indication about how formal Killigan would make things or if the Royal would keep Alec’s position in the Merrow Courts quiet for now.

The other Aqua-kin’e simply gave him a fond look. "Very well." They turned to the two landwalkers. "I am Killigan. One of my Bonded is Alec's cousin."

"Aracle Deveraine, Rheyo of the Deveraine Circle," Aracle responded, bowing slightly. It never hurt to be a touch more polite than usual when it came to unfamiliar individuals that he couldn’t place.

"Harry Potter, Alec's new Submissive, I think," Harry said absently. Then his green eyes gained a bright sheen. "Wait, cousin?" He turned to Alec. "Is this the one you said—”

He squawked when Alec suddenly appeared in front of him, webbed blue hands pressing against Harry's mouth to prevent him from talking.

"The one Alec said what about?" Killigan inquired and used a spell to separate Alec from his Submissive momentarily so Harry could finish the sentence.

"I apologized for my soul-cry interrupting whatever he was doing at the time and he said that all that was interrupted was being forced to watch his cousin and a friend acting 'sickeningly sweet' toward each other."

Alec groaned.

Killigan blinked slowly a few times. "Why would you apologize for a soul-cry?" they mused, before waving the question off. "Yes, I would be that Aqua-kin'e, but really Alec, if you truly feel that way….”

"Don’t even go there," Alec said sharply. "If you try, I will take the full leave of absence given to those who are newly Bonded and leave all of the current and future messes we're dealing with in Kieran's claws, Hunt or no Hunt. And then you can be the one Kieran goes to with his complaints."

Killigan's lips twitched. "If you say so." Their tone belied that they doubted Alec would go to such extremes. Their attention then shifted to other topics. "Are there others?"

“Unfortunately,” Alec grumbled.

Harry's knee-jerk reaction was to elbow the Aqua-kin’e.

"Both landwalkers?" Killigan asked, eyes flicking over Harry.

"Yes."

"Earth Alpha and Fire Beta,” Aracle elaborated when Alec failed to do so.

The other Merrow frowned. "Fire?"

Harry looked between the two older dragels, green eyes widening slightly. "Is that an issue?" he wanted to know. It hadn't even occurred to him until just then. "Fire and Water in the same Circle?"

"Yes," Killigan said bluntly.

"It's not ideal," Aracle countered with a quiet huff. "But it's happened before and there's ways to manage. That you're soul-bonded to both Alec and Charlie will help, as will courting and building up the rest of your Circle."

"Which you shall do sooner rather than later," Killigan proclaimed "A full Circle, during the Hunt Nevarah is hosting in the next few weeks."

"That's not how that works!" Alec complained. "You can't just order my Submissive to hunt. Kesmar, the triad bond hasn't even been finalized yet?”

"I don't even know what hunting is," Harry murmured, and then turned red when Killigan looked at him like he'd said something odd.

"Harry's mentor never made it to him, from my understanding,” Aracle explained to the Merrow, also catching the look.

"You poor dear," Killigan told Harry, giving him a sympathetic look. They clapped their hands briskly. “Very well then. Until things can be figured out, I volunteer my services and will take on the role of your mentor."

"That's not how that works either!" Alec bellowed, his temper fraying. "That's not how it works at all! He is a landwalker Submissive, he needs a landwalker Submissive for a mentor. You are neither landwalker nor Submissive!”

Killigan simply flapped a hand. "Semantics."

Harry winced when Alec let out a screech that brought back memories of the Triwizard Tournament and the golden egg and for a brief second wondered how many traits Merrow and Merfolk shared. 

"He also will need a mentor who understands our culture so he can ensure your needs are being met," Killigan continued, giving Alec a stern look. "I would not trust a landwalker to instruct him appropriately on matters such as these."

Harry watched bemused as the bickering continued for a few more minutes, until Alec let out another painful screech and turned to a third Aqua-kin’e emerging from the Black Lake, this one with red-dyed hair, this one with a more obvious entrance to their appearance. "Tell them they're being ridiculous, Krym!"

Chapter Text

The most frustrating part of this situation, Charlie decided, wasn't the pain, the fact that he suddenly had wings and claws like the creatures he had loved all his life, or even the fact that he had been all but forced to undergo a ritual that he was certain was forbidden in the wizarding world.

No, the most frustrating part was that, for some reason, he was unable to talk. He couldn’t ask all the questions running through his mind, such as: What happened? What was he? How had he become this strange creature? Who was the blue fellow that appeared? And most importantly—when was Harry coming back?

Charlie's entire upper body ached as he was helped to his feet after the ritual was pronounced complete.

"You should settle things now, before a certain pretty face comes back," Ilsa was saying. "He looks like the sort that doesn't like fighting."

Charlie growled at the words—Harry was more than just a pretty face—and growled louder a second time when Theo elbowed him in the ribs.

"There's nothing to settle," Theo replied smoothly. "And he's already made me promise not to a fight, unless I'm directly challenged.”

Charlie's eyes narrowed at the words. It had been decided just like that? Without his input? He wasn’t sure he liked that.

Ilsa rolled her eyes up to the ceiling. "Idiot," she muttered.

Charlie growled again and neatly stepped out of the way when Theo tried to elbow him again. He wasn't sure who the woman was calling an idiot—it could have been Harry or Theo—but either way, he wasn’t going to allow the insult to stand. Not when he had claws and could potentially do something about it.

Ilsa's golden eyes narrowed, assessing the Fire dragel. "He wants a fight," she informed Theo. "So either you fight him or I will."

Theo stiffened and turned his head to Charlie, eyes also narrowing. A heartbeat later, his own wings emerged, flaring to take up as much space as possible, a heavy aura starting to leak into the room.

If it had been any of the dragons he was accustomed to working with, Charlie would have backed down, aware that such posturing could easily turn into a real threat. But now, he had wings and claws of his own and he was both older and larger than Theo. Despite the other man’s relative experience and more pressing aura, he wasn't necessarily convinced the Slytherin was any sort of threat.

He was tempted to prove that he wouldn’t be put off by simple posturing.

Charlie debated internally for a few heartbeats about how to best prove his point.

And then he lunged.

The Slytherin common room was all but destroyed by the time the fight turned into a more—pleasurable—way to settle their instincts and dynamic. Anything that wasn’t broken or damaged in the fight itself gained scorch marks by the time due pair was finished. Charlie hadn't won, but he liked to think he had proved his point—and himself—sufficiently, a hope that was confirmed when Theo allowed him to bite and place a mark on the smaller man's arm, reciprocating the claim the Alpha had placed earlier on Charlie.

"I can't believe you almost challenged a Blood Title,” Theo murmured when they decided to pull apart and find some new clothes. Charlie had to settle for stealing a set of Slytherin robes someone had left behind.

"I don't know what that means," Charlie replied, blue eyes lighting up in delight when he realized he could talk again.

“There’s more to it but at the most basic, it means that Ilsa is the most powerful Gheyo—fighter—among the Earth element,” Theo explained, gold eyes scanning the room for his mentor. He internally sighed with relief when he confirmed that she had left the immediate area to give them some semblance of privacy.

Really, the common room? What had he been thinking? He didn't mind showing affection for his Bonded out in public but there were some things that were better left for the privacy of a bedroom or their home, and the common room was neither.

"She called you an idiot," Charlie complained as Theo started to restore the room. He winced as he sat down on a newly-restored couch, realizing that he now had a lower back ache to complement his aching shoulders.

"She's called me a lot worse,” Theo remarked drily. "That's practically a term of endearment for Oretta."

"Oretta?"

“Mentor. Like you and Harry, I had an unexpected inheritance. She taught me what it means to be dragel.”

"So Harry and I will have someone like her?" Charlie wanted to know.

Theo smirked. "Well, hopefully not exactly someone like her." His smirk quickly turned into a contemplative frown. "Harry's should have come to him by now. It’s … concerning that there's been no word or sign. Usually nothing short of death will prevent a mentor from reaching their charge."

Charlie sighed softly. Yet another potentially parent-like figure lost to Harry before he could know them. What had he ever done to receive such horrible luck?

“We may have to request one for you," Theo continued. "Since you're well above the age of when an inheritance normally comes in. Sometimes the mentors of … late bloomers get reassigned."

A tired grin crossed Charlie's face. "Late bloomer? Is that what I am?" When Theo's ears turned red, he stopped his teasing. "How do we request one?"

"Go to Nevarah and file some paperwork," Theo replied. "It shouldn't be too hard. We'll be going to Nevarah anyway to see some Healers." He made a face at the mere idea.

“Might not be a bad thing,” Charlie murmured, wincing as his wings moved and tugged on his aching shoulders.

Theo's eyes softened when he spotted the wince. "They can definitely help with that," he allowed. "And I can help temporarily, until we can get there. But it won’t get rid of the pain completely."

"Anything is better than something," Charlie decided as the Alpha finished setting the room to right. It looked as though nothing—their fight, the strange ritual Ilsa had performed—had ever happened.

Theo held out a hand to the Beta. "Then let's start by washing those wings off."

Krym—short for Krymsen, Harry quickly learned—did not tell Killigan they were being ridiculous.

Instead, the tentacled Merrow lectured the other on a myriad of other things, none of which Harry understood because the lecture was in a completely different language that was unlike any he had ever heard before.

Despite not understanding anything, he was still able to tell that while Killigan acted appropriately apologetic for whatever trouble they may have caused, they weren't sorry in the slightest—and Krym knew it too. It was … mildly amusing.

Eventually, however, Harry tired of being outside and grew restless to see Theo and Charlie again. And once he noticed the urge to see them, the urge quickly grew until it was practically demanding his full attention.

"I'm going back inside," he announced. Without thinking, he reached down and grabbed Alec's hand to ensure the Merrow wouldn't leave him.

His announcement made, he and Alec turned and walked away from the Black Lake, Aracle following behind them. Since the volume of Krym’s voice didn't change, Harry guessed that the other two Merrow were also following them inside—and a quick peek over his shoulder confirmed his suspicion.

Hogwarts was rather eerie when there were no other students or professors around, Harry realized on their relatively short walk. He was glad to reach the Slytherin common room—something he would have never believed possible.

Ilsa was in the corridor outside, pacing to work off some energy and grumbling—or was it growling?—under her breath. "You took your sweet time," she snapped when Aracle approached her.

"You only say that because you were inside the ward and spells I left behind," the Rheyo returned. "And we had some new arrivals." He gestured to Killigan and Krym.

Ilsa's golden gaze sharpened as she looked over the two new Merrow. Her eyes widened a fraction when she spotted one particular pendant among several that the taller of the pair wore, the symbol one that every Blood Title memorized when assuming their duties—just in case.

"Blood Wraith," Krym acknowledged, a touch of amusement in their voice.

"Crimson Tide," Ilsa returned.

Aracle’s jaw dropped for a heartbeat, but he recovered quickly. “The Crimson Tide?"

Harry found it ironic that someone named Krymsen carried the title 'Crimson Tide' but when he opened his mouth to give voice to the thought, Alec's free hand quickly reached over to cover it.

"Don’t even go there,” the Merrow muttered out of the corner of his mouth, his voice barely audible. "Trust me, you do not want to say anything of the sort."

The pair left the older dragels to their introductions, ducking inside the common room when the door slid open for them. Theo and Charlie were no longer in the common room itself but Harry didn’t even hesitate, going straight for the dormitory portion of the Slytherin living quarters. Somehow he just knew where he would find his Alpha and Beta.

Alec followed him part of the way, just long enough to feel several privacy wards go up, separating the new Circle from everywhere else. Outside of the actual bedroom, however, he started to pull away.

“What—?” Harry started to ask, but Alec simply shook his head.

"The triad bond needs to be settled first before anything else,” he explained. "And that won't happen with me and your Fire type in the same room. Besides, while I’ll always make time for you in my bed, I don’t know if I'm ready to do the same for your Alpha yet."

Harry rolled his eyes. "And you were doing so well up until then," he muttered. Still, he hesitated. "You'll have to at least once, though, won’t you? With Theo, I mean. Isn’t that...?" His brow furrowed as he tried to recall what he'd been told about the other ranks a Circle could have and what it all entailed when a new individual was added to a Circle. It hadn't been a lot of information, though…

"I am Merrow," Alec said haughtily. "I don’t have to do anything unless I want to."

Somehow, Harry wasn’t very surprised by the answer.

Well, they could figure that out later, he decided as he let Alec herd him into Theo's room.

The door shut behind him almost as soon as he was inside. His Alpha and Beta were on the bed, Charlie's navy-red wings extended, with a cloth in Theo's hands and a basin of dark red water to give Harry some clue of what they'd been up to.

A wave of relief coursed through Harry's body as he looked over Charlie. He'd trusted Theo that everything would be alright, but it was one thing to trust and another thing to see.

Charlie turned to face him. "Harry?"

Purring happily, Harry went to the pair.

Theo let out the softest sigh as he sat up, careful not to disturb a dozing Harry, and Charlie. He felt miles better after having established the triad bond—maybe even the best he'd felt since he first met Harry at the beginning of the year—but a headache was starting to brew, one that Theo was fairly sure wasn’t going away anytime soon.

There were two possible causes, he decided. The first was that it related to Harry using his password, since the consequence Theo had anticipated—giving his life for his Submissive’s survival—hadn't yet come to pass.

The other possibility was that it was starting to finally sink in—Charlie was Fire, Alec was Merrow. There was just him and Harry to balance the other two. Even if the two were willing to get along for Harry's sake, Theo was under no delusion it would be smooth sailing. There would still be a ridiculous amount of tension and Harry had a whole slew of other issues to deal with, like his missing magic and his missing mentor.

He really hoped that once Harry's bond with Alec settled, his Submissive was in a hunting mood. They would need more members in their Circle for either of the others to truly feel at ease—and soon, ideally.

And there was only one way to find out and encourage that development.

Harry grumbled as Theo picked him up and started carrying him away from his comfortable bed and his personal heater, Charlie. "What're doing?" he mumbled.

"Cleaning you up," Theo announced as he opened the door. He was entirely unsurprised to see Alec in the thin corridor, leaning against a wall and brooding. It was a lovely brood, he thought, somewhat wistfully.

"Why?” Harry asked through a yawn.

"Seven hours,” Alec snapped at almost the same time.

Theo's lips wanted to twitch. "Because we are on a deadline," he told Harry, trying not to let his amusement show. 

"I'll take care of him," Alec snapped, stepping closer to take Harry from the Alpha. "You deal with the other one."

"Charlie, you mean?" Theo said, quirking an eyebrow. He tried not to sigh when Alec simply growled. Yes, his headache was definitely because he needed to figure out how to handle the Merrow-Fire dynamics.

Chapter Text

Harry wasn’t sure that having sex in the shower counted as 'cleaning up' but he wasn't going to complain or even bring the subject up. Not when he was feeling so perfectly content and spoiled at the moment.

And so reassured. Like when he had bonded to Theo, he could now feel Alec and Charlie's magic pulsing through his bonds, extra sources of power that he could draw on if needed, despite not having any magic of his own. Earth. Fire. Water. He just needed Air and he would have all four elements.

"Is it possible to have every single element in a Circle?" he asked abruptly once Alec deemed him ‘clean' enough and Harry started searching for a towel. He got the feeling Alec wouldn’t agree to casting a drying spell of all things.

"Feeling the urge to hunt already?" the Merrow asked. Before Harry could wonder if his urge to hunt so soon was a bad thing, Alec continued. "Thank Kesmar, because Killigan was quite serious with that—they would find some way to order you to hunt. And yes, it's possible. Just not common." He gave Harry a considering look. "You would be suited for that sort of chaos, wouldn't you?"

"I'm going to take that as a compliment," Harry returned and chirped happily when he found one of Theo's spare towels finally. "And it's not like I'm far off, as it is. I would just need one more."

"Three more," Alec drawled, commandeering the towel and taking it upon himself to dry Harry off.

"One—Air."

"Three—Air, Shadow, and Storm."

Harry's brow furrowed. "Shadow and Storm are elements? No one ever said—“

"They are distinct elements, but some don’t consider them official elements yet because they don’t have their own courts and Royals," Alec explained. "Though I highly doubt those with that sort of opinion have ever personally dealt with the Cunninghams or Dreswells—the likely Circles who will take up the position of Royals when they seek that status."

Harry made a disgruntled sound. Just when he thought he understood something, once again he’d learned that it wasn’t as simple as he first believed.

Alec pressed a kiss to his forehead, to try and hide his smile that threatened to appear at the adorable sound. “If you’re thinking of going that path, make sure to warn your Alpha and Beta,” he said. “A Circle like that requires a lot of work.”

“More work than it’s been so far?” Harry asked, feeling something stir in his veins at the subtle challenge he heard. Before, it had just been a passing thought, but now…

Now he was fairly certain that he wanted to make such a Circle his reality.

Harry's face was red as Theo ushered him and Charlie out to the common room a while later, Alec following behind them, deliberately making sure that the Alpha was between him and Charlie. Harry's dragel instincts were more than pleased with the fact that his Circle was growing but instinct alone wasn't enough to override the absolute mortification he felt now that he realized that all of the other dragels who had come to help would know what they'd been doing to establish and cement their Circle bonds.

At least Charlie was sympathetic to his embarrassment. Theo seemed to understand as well, though he seemed less bothered by the idea. But Alec… the same could not be said about Alec. The Merrow seemed completely baffled by the emotions that started pulsing through Harry's bonds when Theo announced they should return to the common room.

Charlie shifted uneasily when he realized Ilsa and Aracle had been joined by others. Not just any other dragels, either. Merrow, like Alec. One had been tolerable, especially because the bonds to Harry meant that as much as he grumbled, snapped, and protested, Alec wouldn't intentionally harm the Fire Beta. But three … three was too many for comfort.

The ends of Charlie's now tri-colored hair started to flicker.

"None of that now" Ilsa admonished. "They're friendly enough. They won't drown you."

"At least not on purpose," Killigan added in a pleasant voice. “Not today, anyway.”

Aracle coughed, though the younger set of dragels were unsure whether it was to break the silent tension starting to overwhelm the common room or to hide his amusement. "This is Killigan and Krymsen," he introduced. "They came to support young Alec."

Theo gave his mentor and her Bonded a suspicious look, because the pair seemed slightly—bewildered—by the two Merrow. And he knew from experience that it took a lot to throw Ilsa off. She hadn't batted an eye at having to bleed and unbind Charlie—she'd complained, but she took the situation in stride. And her status as a Clan Heiress, as well as her own Circle’s social status meant that she could deal with nobility and royalty, even if it wasn’t exactly her favorite thing to do. That two Merrow seemed to unsettle her made Theo wonder just who exactly those Merrow were and what sort of connections Alec had.

"I've been filled in on the situation," Killigan informed the young Alpha. "Until Harry's mentor can be found and the circumstances of their disappearance determined, I have volunteered to temporarily fill the role.”

Alec's eye twitched. "I thought you were going to talk them out of that ridiculous idea!” he snapped at Krym.

The Gheyo crossed their arms and arched an eyebrow before giving a pointed look in Charlie's direction. Speaking of ridiculous ideas… "A Fire dragel? Really?"

"You say that like I had any choice in the matter."

Tugging Charlie back a few steps so they could stand next to Theo, Harry simply rolled his eyes as the bickering resumed. “Just for the record, while I'm sorry for using your password and the circumstances that led to this, I regret neither Charlie or Alec," he informed his Alpha quietly, looping an arm around Charlie's waist.

"Good," Charlie murmured with a grin and ruffled Harry's hair.

Theo's lips twitched ever so slightly, despite his headache. "Yes, good," he echoed. "Because it's pretty permanent now."

Harry beamed.

Before a full-scale argument could develop between the Merrow, the common room door slid open, immediately putting everyone on high alert.

Blaise Zabini froze in the doorway at the sight of so many individuals—adults at that, and two with very distinct and powerful Gheyic auras. He clutched the unconscious figure on his arms a bit tighter, his breath catching in his throat.

"Blaise?"

The dark-skinned teen exhaled in relief at the sound of Theo's voice coming from behind everyone else. "Theo?" he called back. His grip tightened again when there was a panicked yelp and a short, dark-haired figure pushed his way to the front of the group.

"Hermione!"

At Harry's distressed tone, the owl that had been perching on Blaise's shoulder flew over to her owner and began preening his messy head of hair. Shadow was also roused from where he'd been sleeping unobtrusively through all the chaos and he quickly scrabbled up Harry's body to the Gryffindor's other shoulder to offer his own form of support.

"You have a nytura," Alec said, in a flat tone.

"Charlie gave him to Harry,” Theo informed the Merrow, still somewhat exasperated by that development. A nytura was a fairly significant courting gift, after all, and he was fairly certain that both of the newly-inherited dragels hadn’t grasped just how significant the gesture was.

"I thought you said this—place—was empty!" Ilsa snapped at her student.

"It was—it's supposed to be,” Theo replied quickly, shifting his focus. "Why are you here, Blaise? You left before Harry. I saw you leave."

"And what happened to Hermione?" Harry demanded hotly.

Blaise held up his hands to indicate he wasn’t any sort of threat when some of the adult dragels took Hermione's unconscious body away from him and set her on the closest couch to examine her health. "I did leave," he explained quickly. "And then I found…” He shook his head. "Zabini Manor wasn't the sort of option I thought it would be, so I came back. I was fine for a few days but I went hunting today in the Forbidden Forest, where I found Granger like that."

He shifted uneasily when Harry made another distressed sound, wanting to comfort the Gryffindor he'd been flirting with for weeks but sensing doing so might be a bad idea at the current moment. His thoughts were proven when one of the blue-skinned dragels stepped forward and began hovering nearby in a way that only a Bonded Pareya would.

Bonded Pareya. He was now immensely curious as to how that development occurred, because last he knew, Harry had only had Theo.

Theo's golden eyes narrowed. "What did you find?” he asked his fellow Slytherin and dragel quietly. "What happened at Zabini manor? Weren't Draco and Teacher Terius with you?"

"They were," Blaise confirmed, his tone going flat and the expression in his eyes going dead. "But as soon as they got there, both of their scales started turning black." He swallowed hard. "I believe Professor Snape is dead, given the way Draco started panicking. Teacher Terius decided it wasn’t safe and took him to Nevarah almost straightaway. I chose not to go with because my mother and I always planned to go together when the time was right and because Teacher Terius implied he would come back to investigate whether Professor Snape was in fact dead." A decision which he had been regretting for the past several days.

“I imagine the investigation would be more along the lines of seeing if the body could be retrieved for a remembrance ceremony, if their scales indeed turned the mourning black," Killigan said.

Despite their soft tone, both Theo and Blaise flinched. Severus Snape hadn't been a good man—quite the opposite, in fact—but he had good moments and had been protective of his Slytherins, even when the whole school seemed against them. And enough of them came from broken or empty homes that they clutched on to those good moments and took him to be the closest thing to a father figure they had—especially when they lacked any other positive interactions with the men who were their fathers, uncles, or brothers by blood.

There had also been something distinctly un-killable about Severus Shape. He was a survivor, so the fact that he was now dead was … troubling. To say the very least.

"They left without actually going inside the manor properly," Blaise continued. "When I went in…” He shrugged. "Something was off with the wards. My mother's dead. So I came back here."

Harry warbled softly. Blaise's tone was matter-of-fact, but he still felt the spike of pain and raw emotion that the Slytherin was trying to hold in.

"I'm sorry," Theo said softly, probably one of very few who understood how close Blaise had been to his mother.

Now that it had been established that the newcomer—Blaise—was a familiar face and not a stranger or a threat, everyone started to relax again. Still, Alec kept one eye on the younger dragel, particularly interested in the way he interacted with Harry and Theo.

It was promising, he decided. The girl’s—Hermione’s—prognosis was less promising, with a hellhound brand marking her as a Consort to one of their lot. Things never boded well when hellhounds started sticking their noses in things.

Alec glowered at Killigan when the older Merrow started poking around to determine Harry's connection to Hermione since they weren't siblings or blood-related. He growled when the word 'Companion' was mentioned. "She is unconscious and can’t consent to a bond like that being established," he snapped. "And do you really think it would be a good idea to bring her into a Circle without first discussing it with whatever hellhound left its mark on her, the possessive bastards that they are?"

"Language," Killigan admonished, their pleasant tone and expression never changing.

“I’ll mind my language when you stop scheming," Alec returned, slipping into one of the rarer Merrow dialects. "I will be fine. Let my Submissive hunt and bond at his own pace."

"You say that, but I saw you scheming as well," Killigan replied in the same dialect. "What rank do you think he is?"

"Does it matter?" Alec asked, exasperated. "Just let it be for now. I'll take care of scheming for them myself. If you want to expand a Circle, focus on yours."

To his horror, Killigan actually seemed to consider the idea. If he didn’t know Alcandor and Killigan's Submissive personally, he would pity the Aqua-kin'e. But their entire Circle was cunning, vicious, and meddlesome, Submissive included.

Krym coughed to get their attention and Alec snapped back into action, promptly doing a few calculations.

“Five hours," he told Theo.

Blaise glanced over at his fellow Slytherin. “Five hours until what?"

Theo gave the pair of them a mildly exasperated look. "We're going to Nevarah," he explained to Blaise. "Want to join us?"

He wasn't surprised when his friend readily agreed.

"We've been making arrangements," Ilsa told Theo, overhearing the conversation. "Aracle and I will manage the portal, since we didn’t think your Charlie would agree to the Merrow version. Once we arrive, it's straight to the Surface Courts and the Healers they have on call. By the time you're done there, the beach house should be ready."

“Or one of the houses the Merrow Courts have set aside for such circumstances," Killigan interjected smoothly. "If the beach house is not suitable to accommodate an Aqua-kin'e Bonded."

Alec suppressed a scoff, knowing exactly what property Killigan was talking about. He didn't care what this beach house was like, they were going to stay there instead of living practically right above the private residence of the reigning Merrow Royals.

“What about Hermione?” Harry wanted to know.

“She’s coming with,” Theo reassured him. “We’re already going straight to the Healers, after all. I’m sure they can accommodate one more patient.”

“And a message will be sent to Death’s Court, to let her hound know of her whereabouts,” Killigan added. “Any issues they might take with us moving her to Nevarah can be taken up with the Merrow Courts.”

There was that strange, bewildered look again, Theo noted, directed to the older Merrow from his mentor. As if she couldn’t quite believe what she was hearing.

Meanwhile, Alec scowled at the pronouncement, because he had a feeling that he would be the one handling any fall-out between Death’s Court and the Merrow Courts. That was the way things typically worked, after all—especially when King Alcandor was unaware that there were any diplomatic incidents brewing.

He would protest, if it wasn’t for the fact that Killigan’s reassurances made Harry happy.

It had only been a few hours, but he already knew that he would do anything to keep his Submissive happy.

They gathered together in a Circle, Ilsa and Aracle together, the Rheyo with his arm slung around Blaise’s shoulder. Theo bracketed Charlie between him and his mentor, his other arm wrapped around Harry’s waist. Alec was on the Submissive’s other side, holding Hermione and not looking particularly happy about it. Normally it should have been a Gheyo responsible for her transport, but Ilsa was handling one half of the large ‘portal and Krymsen … well, they had flat-out refused and it seemed like they had their claws full with Killigan.

Harry looked around at the eclectic bunch. He was reluctant to leave Earth, but he couldn’t deny that he was curious about what Nevarah had to offer, if these were only a few dragels that resided there.

“Temptrificus Portgas!”

Chapter Text

It felt like Quinn had been asleep for only a few minutes after a particularly long day at the Clinic when he was abruptly shaken awake again. Groggily, he sat up, teal eyes blinking away the crust that had formed at the corner of his eyes. 

A quick charm revealed that he had actually gotten a decent amount of sleep—a little over six hours. 

“Are you awake?” a familiar voice asked him.  “Are you good to heal?”

Quinn forced his eyes to open fully and he stared at his Sire, not completely comprehending. It was only natural—last he knew, Patrick Kalzik was still away at the Merrow Courts, tending to his more exclusive clients. He hadn’t realized the older blond was back.

“Quinn?” Patrick asked, softly but firmly. “Are you able to heal? Or are you too tired?”

His son quickly waved his hands. I’m awake, he insisted, quickly opening up that specific mental connection. I’ve gotten enough sleep. Just … confused. I didn’t realize you were home.

“Not officially,” his Sire informed him. “Just long enough to grab you, though your mother warned me that you came in late after a long day. You’re sure…?”

I’m sure, Quinn said firmly. It was late but I’ve still gotten at least six hours. Not to mention, he was an Earth element in an Earth Circle, on a property designed for Earth elements and Earth healings. Even less sleep than that would still be refreshing enough. But he was still confused. You came for me?

“We’ve been requested,” Patrick explained quietly. “Both of us specifically.”

Quinn’s brow furrowed. Requested? By who? One of his Sire’s clients? But that didn’t make any sense—sure, Quinn had earned a basic certification in his Sire’s specialty, but he hadn’t gone any further than that. He didn’t have a reputation in that particular field. 

“Not one of my clients,” Patrick continued, as if sensing where Quinn’s thoughts had gone. “But they’re not… it’s not the sort of request that any Healer can turn down. How long will it take you to get ready?”

Quinn held up both hands, showing ten fingers. Normally he was particular and had a morning routine that he liked to follow, but there was a modified one that he would use if he ever needed to go somewhere in a hurry. 

Any details? he asked as he slipped out of bed and started dressing and casting the necessary cleaning and grooming charms to get ready for the day. 

“Not many. There was a soul-cry off-realm. Circle of four, but six patients. There’s a Merrow involved.”

Quinn’s eyebrows rose. Merrow? Well, that explained why his father had been requested, especially if the Merrow Courts had gotten involved. He still wasn’t entirely sure why he himself had been requested, though—he hadn’t been aware that he was on any Merrow’s radar, except for maybe Loren since he was a regular at Hidden Blooms. 

A message pinged on Patrick’s comm. and he read it as Quinn finished getting ready. The younger Healer glanced over in time to see a grimace cross his Sire’s face. 

“Registration process was just completed,” Patrick relayed. “Nameless Submissive, no known family connections and mentor unknown. Earth Alpha, the mentored student of Ilsa Gorgens-Deveraine, the Earth Blood Title. Fire Beta, no established family connections, mentor requested—new inheritance. Merrow Pareya, ward of Lord Kieran—that’s the Merrow King’s main advisor and uncle of the Merrow Queen. That’s the Circle. The other two patients are a hellhound’s consort and a Storm dragel.”

Quinn stared at his father, askance. Fire Beta? he repeated, not quite sure he had heard correctly. 

“Fire Beta,” his father confirmed. “And a pureblood Merrow. Arielle help them.”

The portal coordinates brought the father-son pair to a private clinic located next to the Merrow Waters, a small building with pastel blue walls that Quinn knew had been designed for the part-Merrow that resided above the surface and the rare Merrow who had chosen to bond to landwalking Circles. Due to the hour, inside the main lobby there was only the on-call night receptionist present, who promptly led them down several corridors to one of the more private examination rooms. 

A Gheyo was standing guard outside the room, an intimidating figure with vibrant blue scales and equally vibrant red tentacles that writhed around their feet. A glower was fixed on their face and irritated blue-purple eyes quickly scanned the pair of newcomers.

“Crimson Tide,” Patrick murmured quietly, bowing towards the Gheyo. Quinn blinked rapidly at the unexpected address but quickly replicated the bow.

They received a nod of acknowledgment in return. “Lords Kalzik.” The Gheyo tilted his head towards the room. “Blood Wraith and their Majesty the Queen are inside, standing in as family though all patients are of age to consent. If you are able to determine family connections for the others, we can fetch representatives if anyone feels they are needed.” They paused. “If there’s yelling inside, please be assured that such a thing is normal and can likely be ignored.”

Both of Quinn’s eyebrows raised at the report, but his father only nodded. “Much appreciated,” he said, waving the door open. 

Harry wandered the large examination room—he was not pacing, despite what anyone else might claim—going from Bonded to Bonded, before checking on the still-unconscious Hermione. The additional magic he now had access to thanks to his bonding with Charlie and Alec, as well as the portal to Nevarah, had left him with a decent amount of pent-up energy and with Ilsa and Killigan in the room, Harry was forced to find more public-appropriate ways of working that energy out. Aracle had already departed, after having a brief conversation with Ilsa about getting the beach house ready if it would be needed. 

It didn’t help that they were waiting to see the Healers. When he was younger, the Dursleys wanted to keep up pretenses that they were good people caring for their orphaned nephew, so on a few occasions they had brought him to Muggle doctors—mostly to get vaccinations. Like most children, he had been scared of needles, which led to him being forcibly restrained by an adult or two during a few of those appointments. Then, when he started attending Hogwarts, Madam Pomfrey’s brusque, impersonal manner hadn’t endeared him to the wixen version of doctors. So he wasn’t exactly looking forward to dealing with the dragel version; he’d be very surprised if they were any better than what he’d already encountered in his life. 

After he made several circuits of the room, Theo reached out and pulled him onto the Alpha’s lap the next time Harry passed him. Harry whined quietly, but quickly settled into the embrace, curling up on the lap. When he tilted his face up to talk to Theo, he was peppered with soft, reassuring kisses across his cheeks and forehead, and his whine shifted into a muted, reluctant purr. He would have preferred the kisses to be lower to his lips and neck, but he supposed that Theo knew how quickly that might spiral into other activities and was also trying to be mindful of Ilsa and Killigan. 

He snuck glances at the two older dragels, but they didn’t react in any way that suggested that they minded what was happening.

A few minutes later, Charlie sidled closer, sitting just a few inches away from the pair, and Harry reached out a hand to his Beta. The redhead laced their fingers together and gave him a placid smile. He squeezed gently, reassuringly, when the door swung open and Harry stiffened, immediately focusing on the pair of blond dragels.

No, not the pair. Just the younger one of the two. 

Quinn’s mouth went dry as green eyes locked onto his face. Oh, this was bad. This was very bad. 

Due to his gift for Soul Casting, the young Healer was very attuned to the presence of Soul Magic. Occasionally, when he invoked the more limited gift of AuraSight that he inherited from his Sire, he was able to see the soul-bonds between individuals. 

If he used that gift now, he was certain that he would be able to see the soul-bond between him and that green-eyed Submissive. 

It put him in quite the predicament, because while he didn’t want to reject a soul-bond, he wasn’t exactly prepared to acknowledge it either. And yet, he was likely going to have to choose one of those two paths in the next few hours. Remaining silent and hoping no one else figured it out wouldn’t be possible, not with his own Sire in the room and a Pareya—a Merrow Pareya at that—watching his every move. 

There would be no option of recusing himself either, because he’d been requested specifically alongside Patrick. 

For a very brief second, he wished he had stayed in bed. 

The oldest of the two Healers spoke, bowing in Ilsa and Killigan’s direction as he did. “Your Majesty. Lady Ilsa.”

Harry felt Theo bury his face against his neck, presumably to hide his expression. His Alpha wasn’t the only one surprised by the greeting, by the way Ilsa choked and turned to stare at Killigan.

Harry wished he could do the same, but instead, he reluctantly tore his eyes away from the Healers and turned to glower at Alec. Majesty, as in royalty. And Killigan was bonded to Alec’s cousin, meaning that if the Aqua-kin’e wasn’t Royal himself, he was Royal by association. 

They’d definitely be talking about the failure to mention that later. 

Alec met his gaze readily and merely arched a brow in return. 

Killigan beamed. “Patrick,” they greeted. “Thank you for coming so promptly. And this is—”

“Quinn, my son,” Patrick replied with a nod. “He’s mute, but we brought communication cuffs for whoever he’ll be working with. I believe we brought enough to go around, if need be… Your message said that Soul Casts were requested? A full one or just a partial one?”

“Unless you believe there are easier ways to resolve some of the issues this young Circle is dealing with,” Killigan replied. “Alec mentioned the Soul Casts but as always, we’ll defer to a Healer’s expertise.”

“A brief overview of the issues would be helpful, rather than a general diagnostic. We’ll still run those, of course, but it’s always helpful for our patients to tell us what they want addressed.”

Looks were traded all around the room, each dragel waiting for someone else to speak up. After a minute or so of this, Harry sighed and turned to face Patrick and Quinn again. 

“There was a battle,” he said, his tone flat. “I don’t have access to my magic and my mentor never came. Charlie, my Beta, came into his inheritance.” He gestured at the redhead, and then at Theo. “I used my Alpha’s password. Then I gave a soul-cry which brought Alec to us.” He nodded in the direction of the Aqua-kin’e. “Blaise and Hermione came later. We don’t know what’s wrong with Hermione or how she ended up as she did.”

“There’s a hellhound’s brand on her stomach, and we’ve sent a messenger off to their courts to confirm which house it belongs to and see if any of theirs are prepared to claim her,” Killigan added. “And the soul-cry mentioned was an inter-realm soul-cry.”

“The basis of the password involved Brindus bonds,” Ilsa admitted to the Healers. “It’s only because the effects are shared between all of them that the typical consequence of using such a password has not come to pass. They’ve been very—fortunate.” She shrugged when Theo gave her a wounded look. “In addition to the new inheritance, Charlie here had to be purged of unclean blood. The ritual went smoothly, but it was a quick and dirty one and likely not done to the standards a Healer would want.”

Patrick and Quinn traded looks, grim expressions on their faces. It definitely sounded like a very messy situation, but they had both encountered worse. At least everyone was alive and, with the exception of Hermione, conscious. 

“Thank you for sharing,” Patrick stated, starting to cast the typical spells to prepare for an in-depth healing. Quinn copied the actions. “Let’s begin then.”

“Alpha first, I think, with Quinn.” Patrick nodded in his son’s direction. “And I’ll start my examinations with the young lady. Those are likely the most pressing concerns, and the ones that will take the longest to settle.”

Theo frowned. “Harry should be one of the first,” he insisted. “His magic—”

“A loss of magic sometimes happens during an inheritance, particularly with Submissives,” Patrick interrupted smoothly. “Especially if they have seals on them, which yours does—AuraSight is one of my talents, so I am able to spot them easier than other healers may. I know your instincts are demanding that we prioritize your Submissive, and we will, but sorting out the situation with your password being used will also make things easier on the rest of your triad later on. As it was mentioned, Quinn’s speciality is Soul Casting and his work will not only affect you, but the others as well through your bonds.”

The Alpha’s lips thinned and it was evident that he still wanted to argue, just as the look on Harry’s face indicated that he was going to insist that he was fine and could wait a little while longer. 

Killigan clicked their tongue and waved a hand at Harry, beckoning him over. “Well, now that that’s sorted, I’ll—”

“No,” Alec interrupted.

“—start with the knowledge transfers, as long as there’s the necessary request and approval.” Killigan gave the other Merrow a look. “Really, Alec, you’re being difficult. It’s an expected duty of a mentor—”

“No,” Alec repeated, this time more firmly. “Would you stop—”

“Yes to the knowledge transfers,” Theo said with a touch of weariness in his voice, as Ilsa began to nudge him towards the side of the examination room Quinn was claiming. “For both Harry and Charlie. Oretta, would you for Charlie?”

“If that’s what he requests,” the Gheyo replied. When she glanced over at the red-haired Beta, she arched a brow.

“Knowledge transfers?” Harry asked, for both him and Charlie. 

“There’s various kinds,” Killigan explained. “They’re a way of sharing knowledge, through a bit of magic that will literally implant it in your mind. In this case, we’re discussing the general one, one that’s available to the newly inherited from off-realm. Since it’s more extensive than the majority of knowledge transfers are, it’s a bit more delicate to handle and needs to be both requested by the one receiving it and approved by a guardian or Bonded. Are you interested in requesting it?”

Harry hesitated. “Theo?” he asked instead, a small warble entering his voice. 

“I didn’t know they would still work despite you being unable to access your magic,” the other dragel said, answering the unspoken question of why he hadn’t offered the option to Harry earlier. “I’m also originally from off-realm myself and I haven’t been back here for several years. It’s not something I was able to…”

He received a nod in understanding from his Submissive. A glimmer of relief crossed Harry’s face as he turned back to Killigan and nodded. “Yes, I’d like one,” he requested, and then, remembering the Merrow’s title, tacked on the word, “please.”

“Yes, please,” Charlie echoed, facing Ilsa. 

The short Gheyo nodded. “Then come with me and we’ll sit with Theo,” she decided. “And since I will be occupied, Theo will not fight the Healers.” She gave her mentored student a pointed look until his ears tinged pink, before expanding that look to everyone else in the room. “No one will fight the Healers, or else they’ll have me to deal with.”

The looks on the other’s faces and quick nods promising obedience to that simple command, even from the Merrow, consoled Theo for being called out in such a manner, so he reluctantly made his way over to Quinn without further protest.