Chapter Text
Alphard had always described himself as being overprotective of his brothers. There was nothing he wouldn’t do for them in they were in major trouble. He would raise hell if anyone threatened them and it wasn’t ashamed of it. So when Remus Lupin escorted Potter and Corvus to Diagon Alley; he obviously followed them as well. It hadn’t taken him long to figure out that Lupin was a werewolf. It was completely obvious to anyone who paid enough attention. The man wasn't bad for a werewolf but he still didn’t fully trust his littlest brother with him. In his opinion, Corvus had always been too trusting of those who show him immediate kindness.
The dark-haired boy waited a couple of minutes to use the floo. Corvus would be furious to know that Alphard didn’t trust him enough to go out to the shops by himself with someone that he obviously trusted. It took him no time to reach Diagon Alley considering he was floo'd right in the heart of Knockturn Alley. He cursed under his breath because he knew that Lupin was certainly in a hurry to leave the crooked alley. It was too late to know where his brother had been taken to but it wouldn’t be so bad to do some shopping by himself.
The narrow streets were crowded with many witches and wizards that Alphard could not recognize. Some walking around the streets chatting with their families with slight grins and some looking solemn. He moved through the crowd with his head down while his dark curls blowing into his face. His walking came to an abrupt stop when he stood right in front of Mulpepper’s Apothecary. It was a medium size shop with dark coloring and was obviously a shop for those who were intrested in the dark arts.Alphard was extremley grateful that it wasn’t bustling with many other witches and wizards.
The inside of the shop was dimly lit giving Alphard an uneasy feeling in the pit of his stomach. Many shelves were lined with different kinds of magical herbs from numerous countries and magical communities. His eyes wandered around the intricate shelves in awe. The magical community in Italy was big but their supply of herbs was always difficult to translate at times. He had rarely ventured out of the small magical village’s shopping center thanks to his father’s constant worrying.
As his eyes wondered around the shop, his ears twitched when he heard the soft squeak coming from the back of the shop. At first, he had wanted to ignore the noise but when he heard the sound of a stuttering voice, he couldn’t resist. His steps fell on deaf ears as he walked around the shop to see a fluffy brown haired boy looking terrified while being backed into a corner. He was completely enamored with the pale skin he saw that was wrapped in a fluffy blue sweater, dragon-hide shoes, and a semi-wrinckled robe. The boy had a crooked front tooth and was a little on the pudgy side but Alphard, who had been entranced with the boys light brown downy hair, thought he was utterly adorable.
“Well, look what we have here boys,” Standing in front of the scared looking boy was three older looking teenage boys. Alphard could tell they were probably wealthy heirs of wealthy old families. His father had always said it wasn’t a good idea to be on friendly terms with Purebloods. Something about not bringing their politics into the life of someone that wasn’t created for it.
“If it isn’t the Longbottom squib,” said one with neatly slicked back hair. Alphard couldn’t read the family crest on breast of the boy’s expensive coat but he knew the boy wasn’t one to be trifled with. He bit his lip and then rolled back his shoulders.
“Look, Flint, he looks like he’s scared. Are you scared little squib are you gonna piss yourself,”
“Morgana’s tits, Longbottom are you bloody crying,” Flint said causing the other boys to laugh at the crying boy. The boy, Longbottom, was curled up into himself on the floor having an anxiety attack.
Alphard watched in horror as the three boys in front of him took their wands out and pointed them at the boy. Flint whispered a word and the boy let out a raspy screech. Quietly, Alphard walked around to the next aisle so he could get the scared boy to realize that he was there. When their eyes met, Alphard felt his world stop at an instant. Those beautiful brown grew wide as they stared back at his. Alphard placed his finger over his lip and the boy nodded.
“Bfuori dalla porta,” Alphard whispered and the three boys were pushed out of the Apothecary by his own magic, leaving Alphard alone with the cowering boy.
“What’s your name, surely it can’t just be Longbottom,” Alphard said. The name rolling off of his tongue nicely.
“N-N-Neville,” The boy sputtered out still shaking with fear.
“Well Neville Longbottom, you should know better than to come to a store in Knockturn Alley without someone with you. You should consider yourself lucky that I was here to save you from those boys,” Alphard said gruffly as he reached out his hand for Neville to take. Neville’s hand was warm in his and Alphard wanted to wrap the chubby boy up into his embrace.
“T-Thank you u-uh,” Neville said curiously because he had not known his name with flushed cheeks.
“Alphard,” the dark haired boy said enjoying the feeling of Neville in his arms. The light haired boy was so warm and smelled of the earth with hints of something warm’ honey maybe.
“T-Thank you A-Alphard,” Neville said blinking owlishly before running out of the shop. Alphard slumped as he watched his fluffy haired boy walked away in a rush.
“fino alla prossima volta (until next time),” Alphard whispered, now standing alone in the middle of the shop with his hands in the pockets of his black trousers.
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Sirius whistled and walked throught the townhouse in silence. Sirius had never how easliy quiet the townhouse could get. It reminded him of Azkaban, where all he ever heard were the soft murmurings of his old cell mates and white noise. He rolled his eyes when he heared the, not so, plesantries of his deceassed relatives. Ever since his childhood, they had never been fond of him and their hostility only grew when he got older.
“Please, show me the tapestry Kreature,” Sirius heard down the hall and immediately identified the voice as his nephew Corvus. He silently crept down the hall, following his nephew's soft voice.
“Kreature be not wanting to show master,” Sirius would have laughed if not for the look of desperation on his nephew’s face. Corvus’ face turned red wth frustration.
“Why the bloddy hell not,” Corvus demanded. His angelic pale face still red with frustration. The poor boy looked like he was about to pop a blood vessel. There was not anything he felt that he could do until he heard his nephew mutter a spell and Kreature yelp. Sirius now felt that it was a good time to interienve before his nephew killed the only house-elf he had.
“What is going on here,” Sirius asked with his arms crossed and his brow raised. Corvus let out a huff and Kreature now decided that it was the appropriate time to disappear.
“That lousy elf won’t show me the family tapestry,” Corvus said in clear annoyance but Sirius thought it was utterly adorable. Sirius suppressed his laughter and slung his arm around Corvus’ shoulders. Corvus sighed and hung his low head in embarrassment.
“C’mon now Petit Corbeau (little raven),” Sirius said pulling Corvus towards the tapestry room. On the way, Sirius couldn’t help but run his hands through the boy’s silky curly hair. He reminded him so much of Regulus that Sirius had to tell himself that his brother was dead. The only thing he could do now was doing right by his nephews and that he would.
“I didn’t know you could speak French,” Corvus asked timidly, afraid he would upset the man that had let him and his brother stay at the family home. Sirius looked at him and cracked an amused smile.
“I’m just as much of a Black as you are,” Sirius paused for a moment and then said,” as your father once was,” He finished with a distant look in his eyes.
He soon snapped out of whatever trance he was in once they reached a thick black door. There was dust collecting on the doorknob which means to Corvus that not many people had been here. However, Corvus’ previous excitement had diminished when he looked back at Sirius and realized that the older man had a somber look on his face.
“W-Where are you. I don’t see you,” Corvus said looking around the tapestry. His eyes were big and round as they darted from ancestor to ancestor.
“My mother burned me off the tapestry when I was just sixteen,” Sirius said pointing to his burned off portrait. Corvus’ heart clenched for a moment.
“Why did she burn you off of the tapestry,” Corvus asked curiously
Corvus moved Sirius’ finger and followed the golden line connecting his portrait from Walburga and Orion to Sirius and then his father; Regulus Arcturus Black. The gold line connecting to his father’s name was a faded dull gray like every other dead ancestor of theirs. With watery eyes, Corvus took his eyes off of his father’s portrait and back at his uncle.
“The Black family has had nothing but Slytherins and when I got into Gryffindor. You can imagine the upset that Walburga Black made about it. It only got worse once I got older,” Sirius said in a nostalgic tone.
“Polaris said I'll be in Hufflepuff and Alphard says that father will probably have a heart attack,” Corvus said obviously sad. Sirius wrapped his arms around his nephew and nuzzled his nose into the boy’s curly hair.
“There’s nothing wrong with being a badger, raven, just like there’s nothing wrong with being a lion, snake, or eagle. I imagine Severus has told you about the houses and their common personality traits,”
“Father says it doesn’t matter as long as I make him and my padre proud but what if I can’t,” Corvus asked in a small voice. Sirius pulled him out from his embrace and turned his chin up so they could meet eye to eye.
“Even if you are sorted into hufflepuff, Helga Hufflepuff herself should be proud to have you in her house. Do you understand me Corvus,” Sirius asked sternly. Corvus nodded but it was obvious that Sirius wanted a verbal confirmation.
“Do you understand raven,” Sirius said more aggressively. Corvus shivered when he saw the wild look in Sirius' eyes.
“Yes uncle, I understand,” Corvus replied and then felt Sirius pulled him into his chest. The warm comfort of Sirius’ bony chest made Corvus almost purr in satisfaction.
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Polaris was wandering through the townhouse when heard a large thud from the floo room. There were so many bloody rooms in the damn house that it would probably take a month for Polaris to properly explore all of them. Given that many of the rooms were protected by intense charms and wards created by dark witches and wizards of the family, Polaris would probably ask Sirius to help him. Speaking of Sirius, the older man had disappeared a long while after the three left for Diagon Alley. Polaris honestly couldn’t find himself being bothered with talking to him.
He may have grown up with three brothers and he cared about them very much; there was no denying it. He would do anything to protect Corvus and Alphard, even if it cost him his life. But there were times when Polaris felt like he was completely alone with no one to talk to. Corvus, Polaris felt, was too innocent to know about the dark thoughts that ran through his head sometimes. Alphard, obviously, was just like their father with his imposing stature and blank face, there was no way Polaris would express his inner demons.
“Potter, what the bloody fuck do you think you are doing. Get your filthy hands off of me,” Polaris heard a panicked voice said. Following the panicked voice, Polaris heard a deep rumbling sound that made him even more curious than he already was.
“Watch yourself Dragon, if you wanted to see filthy I’ll bloody show you how filthy I can get,” Polaris stopped in the middle of the door frame with his mouth wide open. He had never heared Harry speak like that to anyone; it was truly something that he wanted to remember.
Harry had grasped the pale blond boy's hips pulling him directly up against his chest. The boy had hair so blonde it was white and his red cheeks contrasted beautifully against his pale skin. Harry looked too aggressive to approach by himself, so Polaris put a smirk on his face and crossed his arms after leaning up against the door frame. Cool, calm, and collected as usual. Before he could say anything, Sirius and Corvus came running into the room after pushing past him.
“Pup, what the hell is going on here. Why is little Malfoy here,” Sirius demanded. Harry got in front of Malfoy in a way that was completely predatorial; shocking Sirius.
“He’s mine,” Harry said practically growling.
“No, I am not,” Malfoy said with an annoyed tone in his voice and his arms crossed defiantley over his chest. His nose was stuck in the air and even then you could tell he had a smal smile on his face. Polaris could tell he was enjoying the attention Harry was giving him.
“Yes you are mine,” Harry said growling.
“What the hell-,” Sirius started to say but got cut off by Remus who was out of breath and suddenly in the room as well. Alphard following behind him with determination.
“Cub, why in merlin’s name did you run away like that.,” Remus asked in hysterics. His clothes were even more ruffled than before and his hair looked as if his hands had ran through it. Alphard next to him looking unusually calm about the whole situation.
“He was obviously busy with the blond bombshell over here,” Alphard gestured to where Harry and the boy, Malfoy, were standing. He had to refrain himself from rolling his eyes. He very well knew who the boy was when he first set his eyes on him. Blonde hair, eyes like mercury, pale skin; the boys whole appearence screamed that he was very rich and well bred.
“Draco Malfoy of the Noble and Most Ancient House Malfoy,” Draco said with a smirk on his face and arms crossed. It was a good thing that he wasn’t showing how scared he was of his current situation. If anything, he was more anxious to get out of Potters presence than actually indulge in the fact that the golden-boy himself was his mate.
“Mine,” Harry purred with a more animalistic smile. Remus stared in shock at how different his cub was acting. He had always been aware at the fact that his wolf side, Moony, sometimes made him very aware of what a person was feeling. He was confused because he knew that neither Lily or James had creature blood in their family.
“Absolutely not Potter,” Draco said defiantly. The one thing Draco had known about finding your life mate was then giving them a chase made the surrender sweeter.
“Yes you are and I will have you Draco,” Harry said knowing that actually addressing Malfoy by his first name would have quite an effect on him. Harry held back a smirk when he saw that Draco narrowed his eyes at him.
“Am I the only one that’s finding this extremely amusing,” Polaris said causing nearly everyone in the room, mostly Sirius and Alphard, to give him a nasty look.
“Your the only one willing to voice said amusement,” replied Corvus.
“Let’s get one thing straight Potter, even if there was a little chance that you could have me you wouldn’t know what to do with me,” Draco said pushing Harry away from him and then running to the floo. With a handful of floo powder and Sirius Black kindly activating the floo. Draco smiled an antagonizingly sweet smile that was directed towards Harry and then mumbled a few words and disappeared.
Harry stood there for a few moments in silence. As soon as Malfoy had flooed away, Harry felt as if a weight had been lifted off of him. It hadn’t been a crushing weight like the cruccio curse. It was a deep feeling within his chest that he had realized went away when Draco wasn’t in the presence. It was becoming harder and harder for Harry to decided wether that feeling was good or bad.
Harry couldn’t understand how he could have these feelings for someone like Malfoy. He had always antagonized him and his friends to no end. Malfoy had made fun of him constantly and even called Hermoine of mudblood. There was no way that Harry could let himsef act on his feelings; not with voldemort’s return. Not with the fact that he had to find away to defeat the madman within this year and the next if he wanted to save everyone in the wizarding world.
“So, what the hell was that,” Sirius asked but was met with complete silence. No one knew what had just happened between Harry and the Malfoy heir. They had just hoped whatever it was wouldn’t get in the way of Harry defeating the dark lord.